A Pirate's Life for Lee
by Caribou Kid
Summary: Lee takes an unexpected detour on the way to a mission.
1. Chapter 1

_**A Pirate's Life for Lee**_

 _ **By**_

 _ **Caribou Kid**_

Awareness returned slowly to Lee Crane, captain of the SSRN Seaview and occasional ONI covert operative, and with its return came a monstrous headache seemingly pounding a counter beat to his pulse as his brain tried desperately to tunnel its way out of his skull. His mouth felt as though his tongue had been wrapped in gauze and glued to the top of his mouth, and his stomach was somehow caught on a rollercoaster as it pitched and rolled inside him. He warily cracked open his eyes finding a dimly lit room then immediately crammed them shut and quickly placed a steadying foot onto the floor to keep the room from spinning wildly out of control. He groaned quietly as he waited for the world around him to settle.

It had been some time since he'd had a hangover this bad and had taken some pride that he had learned a few things in his 'old age'. As he lay there on the uncomfortable bunk he worked furiously through his memories trying to remember how he came to drink so much. The last thing he recalled was strolling into a dockside bar in Djibouti City in Djibouti, Africa, after disembarking from the freighter he'd been working on for the last week, and ordering a single beer. He remembered chatting with the waitress about this and that while he waited for his contact to show. He'd been dispatched by ONI to make contact with an informant to pick up intel regarding a rumored cell of terrorists planning a biological assault in the region. The very fact his memory ended there put Lee on immediate alert, and he quickly conducted an inventory of his body for any signs of a beating or other assault. The only thing plaguing him was the effects of the alcohol or more likely a sedative like chloral hydrate that had been slipped into his drink.

Feeling in better control of himself, Lee once more cracked open his eyes so that he could survey his situation and begin formulating his plan of escape. He again regarded the dimly lit room but this time began taking serious inventory of things around him. It was a small windowless room, painted gray with a set of bunk beds on opposing walls, and the other three bunks were occupied by sleeping or unconscious men. The only light in the room came from a single bulb mounted above the top of the only door. There was a metal toilet mounted on the wall opposite the door and a tiny sink beside it. A small vent shaft was up near the ceiling on the wall opposite his bunk, which emitted a stale, tepid stream of oily smelling air. The single distinguishing thing about the room was that it was entirely constructed of metal like those aboard a ship.

As Lee laid there digesting what he had seen of his accommodations something else caught his attention, and he quickly placed his hand on the bulkhead to feel the vibrations and movement of the vessel. His eyes grew wide as he suddenly realized he wasn't on a surface ship, but aboard a submarine, and not one belonging to the US Navy. He pushed up from his bunk and made a circuit of the room checking on his roommates. He gently shook each man and only received groggy mutterings from a couple as they too most likely slept off the effects of the drug. Confused by their presence Lee gently lowered himself back onto his bunk to work through his current situation.

An inventory of his person found him without his wallet, watch, passport, phone, and money, and he figured his slumbering roommates would probably find the same. He pushed back across the bunk and propped himself against the bulkhead appreciating the coolness of the wall on his aching head, and began his wait for someone to show up to explain why they were here.

(olooo)

"What do you mean he never showed up?!" bellowed Admiral Tom Hardy, head of ONI, to the man on the other end of the phone. "Where the hell is he? When did he last report in?"

"Well sir, according to the vessel captain, Commander Crane left the boat when they made port in Djibouti City and headed off alone. He thinks he said he was going to one of the local bars but didn't tell him which one. That's the last anyone saw of him," Dak Martin, from the US Consulate reported. "We got word from the informant that he showed up as directed but your man never arrived."

"Damn it to hell!" fumed Hardy. "What could have happened to him? Have you checked with the local police, the area hospitals…the morgue?"

"Yes sir, I've made discreet inquiries at all those locations and came up empty. He's just vanished without a trace," Martin explained as he steeled himself for the next outburst from the officer.

"So, what about our informant? Can we still get the information from him?" Hardy inquired as he tried desperately to figure a way to salvage the mission.

"I don't know sir," Martin replied. "He's even more scared than before since our man has disappeared. He fears for his life and that of his family's, and he's not willing to pass anything on to anyone from here."

"Just great," Hardy ground out, frustrated at not being able to get the information, but even more upset at having lost his best agent, and even worse, having to face the possibility of explaining that to Harriman Nelson. "All right contact the man and tell him we will have another man in place to receive his intel in 24 hours. If he'll take another chance we'll make one more attempt."

"I'll try Admiral. I'll be in touch shortly," Martin replied and then hung up.

Hardy sighed in frustration and worry. There was not a more capable agent in the world than Lee Crane, and to have him just disappear had him concerned. The man was always on alert but when undercover his awareness took on almost super human scope as he seemed to have a preternatural ability to sense problems or threats before they could occur. To have him go missing quite honestly scared him.

At the present, his hands were tied from taking any more overt actions to try and find the missing man. The information they needed to retrieve could potentially save millions of people if it proved to be valid, and could help them thwart whatever plans the terrorists were attempting to hatch. Once the information was passed and the contact safely on his way, then he would press the consulate to make more serious inquiries, and he would possibly send in another agent to try and determine what happened to Crane.

(olooo)

Lee sat quietly against the bulkhead nursing his headache, and listening intently for any indication as to who had grabbed him and presumably the other men in the room with him, and why. His watch was gone so he had no idea how much time had passed since he was brought aboard but he roughly guessed it had been 12 hours or more given the state of his companions. He was suddenly alert as he heard the telltale clang of hatches opening and closing down the passageway indicating he was probably about to start getting some of his questions answered.

He moved forward and sat at the edge of the bunk and listened as the door was unlocked and pushed open. A large, burly man dressed in black fatigues with an automatic weapon was the first one through the door and quickly directed the gun at the only upright man in the room. Satisfied he had adequately conveyed the message that Lee should remain absolutely still, the guard looked over his shoulder and nodded to someone else in the corridor.

Moments later another man entered the tiny room and surveyed the occupants. He was shorter in stature than the man with the gun but it was quite obvious from his demeanor and carriage that he was in charge. He looked to be in his early 60's, obviously fit, and his pointed gaze quickly scrutinized and evaluated the men in the room. He carried a short length of metal pipe in his hand which he proceeded to use as he began pounding the pipe forcefully on one of the bed posts supporting the bunks opposite Lee, startling the men passed out on them. He crossed the room and did the same thing to the bunks Lee was seated on rousing the man on the top bunk.

The rudely awakened group moaned loudly in pain as they experienced the after effects of the drug used to incapacitate them. They all worked to pry open their eyes and stared groggily at the guard and the other man standing in the center of the room.

"Welcome aboard, gentlemen," the man started, a thick Russian accent marking his words, once he knew he had everyone's attention. "I am your host Captain Kargarov. You are no doubt wondering why you find yourselves aboard my submarine. I was in need of additional hands to operate the boat, and you were kind enough to volunteer."

"So what you're saying is that we've been shanghaied to fill out your crew?" Lee asked incredulously.

Kargerov laughed. "You're quick on the uptake. In line with the age old maritime tradition, you have entered into a period of indentured service to pay for your passage on this vessel."

"And what if we refuse to work?" asked the man in the top bunk above Lee.

"You may get off at any time. Of course your means of exit involves the torpedo tubes. If you refuse to work you're of no value to me, and will be jettisoned immediately. Do I make myself clear?" Kargarov replied. The four men nodded their heads getting the point all too clearly.

"Excellent. Now you will tell me your names and your areas of expertise. You first," Kargerov said as he pointed to Lee.

Lee actually let loose a mental sigh of relief at finding himself a victim of a relatively simple kidnapping scheme as opposed to being captured and detained by any number of less than friendly governments for the purpose of information extraction. He needed more information before he answered.

"Why, you already have our IDs," Lee replied. "I assume you grabbed each of us for a specific reason."

"Your credentials and personal effects were removed before you arrived. My contract only called for able bodied seamen and you fit the bill, anything else of value beyond that was left to those who collected you. Now you **will** tell me your name and you **will** tell me what skills you possess or I _**will**_ show you the door," Kargerov replied menacingly.

Lee scowled at the man, giving him sufficient time to create the identity he would use on this boat along with a vocation that would provide him the best opportunity to sabotage whatever these men were up to. "I'm Dave Sherman. My _area_ of expertise is engineering; vessel power plants and the like."

"Good, I'm in need of a backup engineer. What about you?" Kargerov said pointing to the man in the bunk above Lee.

"Marty Landeau. Navigation, communications and pretty much anything electronic based."

"You?" the captain said pointing to the man in the bottom bunk opposite Lee.

"Oscar Peterson. Cook and engineer's mate."

"And you?" Kargarov said indicating the last man.

"Ned Whitcome. Emergency medical technician."

"Well it looks as though we have open positions for all of you, you are most fortunate," Kargarov stated with a chuckle.

"We've answered your questions, how about you tell us why you needed to kidnap us, who the hell you are, and what you're doing with this submarine?" Lee inquired.

"Fair enough. One might characterize us as modern day pirates. We are purveyors of rare and difficult to obtain items, and provide said goods without the eyes of the unwanted looking over our shoulders when the transactions are made."

"And how exactly do you manage that?" Lee asked as he got a sinking feeling he knew the answer.

"All in good time," Kargarov replied with a disturbing chuckle. "You will remain here for the time being until you are introduced to your duties, and the rules of this boat. Be aware that I have zero patience for those who fail to work or fail to comply, and have no problem whatsoever replacing those individuals permanently." He sneered at them. "Again, welcome aboard gentlemen."

Kargarov and his muscle exited the cabin leaving the four occupants rather stunned at their current situation. The door slammed shut and they heard it being locked to keep them in place until needed.

(olooo)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

"What the hell was that all about and how did I get here?" Landeau asked as he rubbed his aching head.

"Well if I'm any judge based on how I feel, we were all drugged at some point, then robbed and spirited aboard this boat," Lee replied. "I get a bad feeling that this is the boat that has been responsible for a number of vessel attacks around this area the last few months."

"Huh?" Peterson replied. "I haven't heard of any of that. You mean you think this nut job is sinking boats for some reason?"

"Yeah, I read about that on the internet. According to ZNN there have been like seven or eight boats that were attacked and sunk. Kind of makes sense if you believe that he's collecting things to sell," Whitcome chimed in.

"What about the crews on those ships?" Peterson asked. Whitcome and Lee just shook their heads indicating no one had survived. Peterson suddenly went pale and swallowed convulsively as he realized the horrific nature of their _service_ on this boat. Landeau likewise paled, closed his eyes and said a quick prayer.

"Man this so totally sucks! So what do we do now?" Whitcome fumed.

"At this point whatever they tell us I suppose," responded Lee. "I don't doubt his promise to show anyone the door." He pushed back up to his feet and began scrutinizing the cabin closely, and quickly spotted what looked like a listening device up in the corner opposite his bunk. He mentally debated pointing it out to his compatriots but decided against it until he had determined whether they were guests like himself or a member of Kargarov's crew set amongst them to spy on them.

Lee casually glanced over his cabin mates and conducted a quick assessment of them. Whitcome was the youngest and looked to be somewhere in his early 20's. He was tall, blond and quite apparently worked out. His bright blue eyes and physique reminded him of Chip and he dearly wished he had his friend and XO with him right now to help him take control and remedy this situation.

Landeau was older, most likely in his mid to late forties. He looked to be of average height and weight and starting to get that middle age paunch. He had short brown hair with hints of gray around the temples. His eyes held a sharp and penetrating gaze that belied his mild mannered appearance.

Peterson appeared to be in his mid to late 30s and looked to be about the same height as Landeau. He had brown hair and surprisingly a red beard. He was physically fit but not to the same level as Whitcome.

"So has anyone here ever been on a sub before?" Landeau asked.

"Nope," Ned replied. "I was actually on my first sea voyage, I signed on to the Maersk Challenger as a medic after I completed my EMT training and was hoping to save up some money until I could get hired on with a fire department or ambulance company. How about you?"

"I did a few hitches in the Navy on board surface ships. I retired as a Senior Chief a couple of years ago and have been hopping freighters ever since," Landeau answered. They looked to the other two men for their stories.

"Not me," Peterson replied. "I've only worked on freighters and tanker vessels since I graduated high school."

"I have," Lee added. "I did a number of tours with the Navy, most of which were on subs working in the engine and reactor rooms. I was the engineering officer on my last boat." Certain that they were being monitored Lee had just made himself a highly desirable commodity on board, a US Navy trained nuclear engineer.

"Wow really?" Whitcome remarked. "So why did you get out?"

"Uh, I had a few problems with my last CO and was pretty much asked to leave or risk being court martialed and receiving a dishonorable discharge," Lee explained.

"What did you do?" Landeau inquired as he scrutinized Lee closely.

"Let's just say that the CO and I had come to blows over how he was running the boat. We got into a bad situation, and even though I saved all their bacon he blamed me for things going wrong. The official inquiry supported my version of the story and the captain was relieved of command and discharged on a medical, but the Navy isn't real forgiving when you go after the captain of a boat regardless of the provocation," Lee answered. "They showed me the door, so to speak, so that they could save face. Didn't look good to reward someone for saving an entire submarine with a court martial and DD. That was actually fine with me because I had lost all respect and interest in naval service after that."

"You're _that_ Dave Sherman?!" Landeau asked in surprise. Lee nodded.

"What?!" Whitcome inquired. "You've heard of him?"

"The Navy tried to keep it all hush hush but details leaked out. The CO of the Mako went nuts and the sub was nearly sunk because of his breakdown, at least that's what I had heard. By the time the XO finally took over, the boat was heavily damaged, a couple of men killed, a number of the crew injured, and Mr. Sherman here was pretty much made the fall guy. You got the shaft, man."

Lee graced him with a small smile and a nod. "Thanks. Those are the political realities of working for any government entity. It sucks but what are you going to do?"

Lee mentally smiled at actually having his cover verified. He was the XO on the Mako at the time, and had worked closely with Dave to save the boat after relieving the captain of command. He too believed Dave got the shaft, and had done everything he could to try and salvage his career but the Navy was having none of it, and by the end Dave wanted no part of the Navy either. Shortly after he was discharged, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him a quadriplegic and mentally disabled. With no family, he was currently institutionalized in a small nursing home in rural Georgia.

Lee latched on to Dave's identity because it could be easily verified, his whereabouts for the most part were unknown and difficult to discover, and they were very similar in appearance. If their captors had the wherewithal to obtain and operate a nuclear submarine, they most likely had access to assets that would allow them to verify the identities of the men they had kidnapped. If they carried things to that extreme, it should buy him extra time and hopefully would alert ONI or another intelligence agency that someone was using that identity and trigger inquiries on their part.

"So what _do_ we do now?" asked Peterson.

"The only thing we can do, sit and wait." Landeau replied.

(olooo)

As the men in the room conversed, Andre Kargarov smiled in delight as he eavesdropped from his cabin. Never in his wildest dreams could he have hoped for a nuclear engineer when he had his contact in Djibouti waylay additional men for his crew. He was thrilled to hear of the man's disdain for the US Navy, and mentally began working through ways to court and woo him into becoming a willing member of his crew.

The other three were desirable as well. He was in desperate need of someone to man the sonar and hydrophone stations on the boat, and it never hurt to have someone trained in emergency medicine. Given his chosen line of business, injuries were a common place occurrence on the boat and now he had a means to better treat the crew. The last man hopefully was a decent cook and backup mechanic. The current cook wasn't able to make anything more palatable than SOS and sandwiches. All in all he was exceedingly pleased with his new conscripts. He just hoped that they would conform to his rules and perform the duties assigned them, he would hate to dispose of them, especially Sherman.

Kargarov reached over to the intercom and hit the switch. "Mr. Jones report to my cabin."

"On my way," came the response. Five minutes later, Trevor Jones rapped on the captain's door and entered. "What's up?"

"Looks like we lucked out with the new members of the crew. Give them uniforms and then take Peterson to the galley, Whitcome to the infirmary, and Landeau to Marco in the control room so they can start their training and duties. Bring Sherman here." Kargarov ordered.

"What's the big deal with Sherman?" Jones inquired.

"He's a nuke trained engineer. We need to work very carefully to bring him over to our side. Polanski's adequate but this guy apparently was a chief engineering officer on a US sub named the Mako." Kargarov explained. "Next time we surface I'll send off an inquiry to see if we've got the real deal."

Jones smiled at the news. The few instances where they had run into trouble they had only escaped by the skin of their teeth because the engines had barely worked. If this guy was worth his salt, he could fine tune their power plant giving them a larger measure of safety when they carried out their raids. "I'm on it. Should be back in about 30."

(olooo)

Jones and one of the security guards collected the new recruits and began dropping them off at their new duty stations. As Lee accompanied the group, he quickly familiarized himself with the boat and realized that it was an old submarine from the People's Republic, most likely barracuda class, which had been phased out of active service over 15 years ago. Apparently the PR was not adverse to selling off their old equipment, and probably still provided things like nuclear fuel and parts for a hefty price to keep them running. Given what Kargarov had said earlier about the sales taking place without prying eyes, the transactions probably occurred somewhere in PR territory.

With Landeau dropped off in the control room, Jones indicated that Lee should continue aft and was soon escorted to the captain's quarters. Jones knocked twice then opened the door and indicated Sherman should enter. Lee entered the small cabin and sat in the chair Kargarov indicated. Jones grabbed a seat on the captain's bunk and the security guard exited the room taking up position outside the door, ready to respond if required.

"Nice of you to join me Mr. Sherman," Kargarov began.

"Delighted to be here," Lee replied sarcastically and was greeted by a wolfish smile from the captain.

"I understand you are a US Navy trained nuclear engineer," Kargarov replied and waited momentarily for a surprised reaction from Lee, that much to his consternation didn't come. "You're not surprised that I know who you are? Hmmm."

"I'm sure you were listening to all that we said after you left the room. I spotted your bug up in the corner of the room. I wasn't overly surprise that it was there. When forcing men to work for their lives it's a good idea to know what they're plotting to avoid any rude surprises," Lee answered honestly.

"Yet you didn't point that out to the rest of your companions, I find that very interesting."

"I had no idea whether they were legitimate abductees or someone you had planted to ferret out information," Lee explained.

"And what did you decide?" Kargarov inquired.

"I think they're just who they say they are, as am I. I also assume we're talking now because I've got some very specific skills you desperately need based on how this boat feels, and you want to make a play for my cooperation," Lee responded.

Kargarov's expression clouded and his face flushed bright red at Lee's response, upset at the man's deduction of his intentions. Jones looked on warily just waiting for Kargarov to pull the gun out of his desk drawer and terminate the man for his arrogance. Lee remained absolutely still, his face set in stone careful not to react at having stolen the man's thunder.

"You're most perceptive, Mr. Sherman. You are quite right, I am in need of a man with exactly your credentials. You will work for me one way or the other or I will dispatch you without the least amount of regret. Given the way your navy disposed of you I would think you would be open to a means to a great fortune. You become a trusted member of this crew, and you would gain a portion of our profit and other benefits," Kargarov nearly purred.

"Thanks but no thanks, I'm not into piracy."

"You mean not yet," Kargarov laughed. "I think as you work for me you will eventually change your tune. I can be very generous or I can be very vindictive when I don't get what I want. Think on that for a while."

"Since we're on the subject of backgrounds and credentials, may I inquire about yours?" Lee asked cautiously. "I don't want to consider employment with an inept captain only able to make the boat go up and down, and forward. You understand."

Kargarov laughed and stared intently at the impudent young man seated across from him. "You think quite highly of yourself, don't you? I can appreciate that as long as the talk is backed up with the walk. To answer your question, I captained submarines for the chief rival of your government. When the Soviet Union was dissolved, there was a major downsizing in the military, if you will. I suddenly found myself to be excess to their needs and was rather unceremoniously released from their service. After kicking around for a bit on commercial vessels, I was approached by a very wealthy entrepreneur who proposed a very interesting venture which allowed me to get back into the business for which I was trained. The rest as you say is history," he explained. "Once on board with the venture, I was charged with assembling the crew to operate the boat. Those selected, like Mr. Jones here, were likewise discards from their various national militaries. All skilled at what they do but deigned superfluous to their country's needs. You should no doubt easily relate to their situations, Mr. Sherman."

"Then why shanghai crew members? I would think that you could come up with enough of the disenchanted to crew this boat," Lee responded.

"Surprisingly, men with those types of credentials and expertise are more closely monitored by their ex-employers than one would think, to prevent them from selling those skills to the highest bidder or a competing country. Approach too many and questions are raised, investigations started by multiple intelligence organizations, which is not conducive to the business venture we were about to conduct. We have found it far more effective to 'employ' random sailors to avoid such scrutiny." Kargarov continued.

"So what you're getting is just luck of the draw?" Lee replied incredulously. "I've noticed you haven't scrimped when it comes to security. They castoffs as well?"

Kargarov gave Lee an unsettling smile. "I'm sure you understand there is never a shortage of men willing to kill for a living. I recommend you keep that fact firmly in mind. Mr. Jones, take Mr. Sherman here down to engineering and introduce him to Polanski. That should serve to shake him up a bit."

A nasty smile spread across Jones' face as he stood and moved to the door. "Come on Sherman, time to start earning your keep."

Lee stood up and regarded Kasparov with undisguised disdain then turned and moved to the door. As he exited he was shoved hard from behind by Jones and slammed into the wall across the corridor. The guard quickly grabbed him before he could react and headed him down the passageway towards the engine room.

(olooo)


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Nearly three days had passed since Crane had failed to show up for an information swap in Djibouti City and there had still been no sign of the man. Luckily Hardy was able to convince the contact to take another chance. He dispatched another agent and this time the meeting occurred as planned and the information passed on. As he perused the new data he was pleased to see that it was most likely valid, and the analysts at ONI and the other covert agencies were processing it and making plans to intervene in the terrorist plot.

That aside Hardy was still extremely worried about his missing man, Lee Crane didn't just disappear without leaving some sort of hint as to where he had gone. Once he had obtained the information he needed, Hardy had dispatched two more agents to poke around and make inquiries to try to discover where the commander had gone. Each report came back negative leaving him with a feeling of dread that something bad had befallen his agent.

In the course of the investigation, it had come to light that three other men had just disappeared as well. Like Crane they had arrived via commercial vessels and were working members of the crew. Their assigned jobs on board their various ships were diverse and didn't necessarily indicate they were abducted for those reasons. Still it was something and Hardy had his men trying to reconstruct where each man had gone after leaving their ships.

As information came back there seemed to be no common denominator in their disappearances. Each one apparently went to a different bar and no one really remembered seeing them. Djibouti had a reputation for being one of the most dangerous ports in the world and it was starting to look as though Crane and these other men were just victims of random muggings, and were most likely lying dead somewhere in the city or out in the countryside. As unlikely as that fate seemed to have befallen Lee Crane, it was looking more and more like that was the case.

Tom was losing hope and beginning to feel the personal loss of his top agent, and friend. He'd known Lee since the very start of his ONI career and had been nothing but blown away by his intelligence, natural abilities and professionalism. Though nothing like the relationship between Nelson and Crane, Hardy had long considered Lee a friend and confidant. There was a mutual deep seeded respect for each other, which in any other section of the Navy would have been more apparent. Given the missions Tom routinely assigned Lee, it wasn't wise to let a full blown friendship develop and possibly prevent him from sending the best suited agent on a mission because of his personal feelings for the man.

He sighed in frustration at gaining no insight into where his friend and agent had gone. The longer this dragged out the more certain his need to contact Nelson, and let him know his captain and 'son' had disappeared. The thought of that conversation tied his stomach in knots and he grabbed the phone to get another update from his agents in Djibouti.

(olooo)

Lee was escorted down to engineering and introduced to the lead engineer, Myron Polanski. He immediately understood Kargarov's and Jones' amusement at the impending introduction. Polanski was a slug of a man. He stood about 5'4", must have weighed nearly 300 lbs and was on the trailing edge of his 50s. He instantly reminded Lee of an old childhood toy called a Weeble; an egg-shaped doll that would always return to an upright position when pushed over. The advertising slogan immediately leapt to mind, 'Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.' Polanski was so round, Lee figured it would be impossible for him to actually fall over; he was as wide as he was tall. He had to fight hard to stifle the laugh that threatened to break free.

His shape was the only thing about him that was whimsical. He looked and smelled like he hadn't bathed in years, and his fat stubby fingers were filthy, caked with multiple layers of grease, oil and who knew what else. He had a scraggly, patchy, salt and pepper beard that grew in isolated clumps across his face, and his small piggy eyes were nearly hidden by his fat cheeks and huge caterpillar-like eyebrows that formed an impressive unibrow. His clothes were equally disgusting probably having never seen the inside of a washing machine since he first put them on. They were stained with grease, food and some things Lee had no desire to identify.

"Polanski, got you some help," Jones said as they entered the space. "This is Sherman, he's a nuke trained engineer. Maybe with his help you can get these engines and the reactor to run right for a change."

Polanski scrutinized Lee closely then waddled across the room to meet his new assistant. He sneered at Jones for his insult then returned his attention to the new man. It was obvious from his reaction that he was intimidated by the taller, younger, physically fit man that was being dumped into his domain. If he proved to be anywhere near competent, Polanski knew his life wasn't worth a plug nickel.

"I don't need no help!" Polanski asserted loudly. "These engines are running the best they can given the crappy parts you keep gettin' me."

"Tough. He's working here whether you like it or not, captain's orders. You don't like it, you know where the door is," Jones fired back. "That is if you can get through it."

Polanski scowled at Jones and spat at his feet. Jones returned his scowl then just laughed derisively, and made his way to the door. "Don't get any ideas about causing trouble Sherman, there's an armed guard outside the door who won't hesitate to end you if there are problems. Usually someone would be in here with you but no one can stand the smell," Jones taunted back then exited and shut the hatch.

"Asshole!" Polanski screamed at him once the door was closed.

Lee had remained completely impassive throughout the exchange between Jones and Polanski. The obvious animosity between him and probably the rest of the crew would play to his favor once he set his plans in motion to bring this operation to an end. He guessed that Jones wasn't kidding when he said no one would enter because of the stench; he was fighting hard to keep from gagging at Polanski's offensive odor.

"So you're supposed to be some trained wonder engineer, huh?" Polanski finally said.

"I've done time on subs and worked with engines and reactors, so yes I'm trained," Lee replied evenly.

"Don't get no bright ideas about trying to take over down here. I'm in charge and all it would take is for me to say the word, and that lump of muscle outside the hatch will come in and put you out of my misery."

"Believe me, I have no aspirations of replacing you. I'm here against my will and will only do what I absolutely have to, to keep myself alive until I can escape," Lee answered.

Polanski broke out laughing at Lee's response. The gravelly gurgle that passed for a laugh just added the crowning glory to his disgusting persona. "Good luck with that one. Ain't nobody gets off this boat other than by way of a torpedo tube. So wonder boy, get busy."

"You mind if I familiarize myself with the engines and reactor first? I've never been on a PR boat before."

"Whatever. Just stay the hell out of my way and we'll get along fine," Polanski groused as he waddled back over to the desk and chair in the corner of the room. It was quite obvious that being on his feet for the 10 minutes the introduction had taken was taxing, and he groaned in relief as he plopped his ass down in the chair. The chair's groan was anything but in relief and Lee mentally wagered how much longer it would stand the strain before it gave out and dumped the obese man unceremoniously onto the floor.

Turning his back to the disgusting lump of humanity, Lee quickly began acquainting himself with the engines, control consoles, and the reactor. The various control panels had been relabeled in English with bits of masking tape beneath the PR words. Lee found it somewhat amusing that a number of them had been incorrectly translated as he both read and spoke Republicese fluently. Reviewing the settings of the various dials, it was immediately obvious that Polanski for the most part didn't have a clue how to run either the reactor or the engines properly. He was most likely given some default settings when he first took over and hadn't changed them since then.

As Lee inspected the equipment he could feel Polanski's eyes boring through him. The scent of fear had been added to his considerable stench, as he knew it wouldn't take much for Lee to make him obsolete and disposable. He also knew he probably couldn't get rid of the man easily, if he was trained as he said, Kargarov would do anything to ensure he kept a prize like him safe and sound.

Having made his tour Lee moved over to Polanski's desk. "You mind if I make a couple of minor adjustments to some of your settings?"

"What, why?! You been here all of 20 minutes and you've decided the way things are set is all wrong? This boat runs fine just as she is," Polanski fired back.

"Suit yourself. If they ask me, I'm going to say you told me not to help," Lee answered blandly.

Polanski's face flushed bright red and his breathing ramped up considerably at the subtle threat Lee had just hurled at him. Lee stared at him slightly alarmed at his physical response and was certain he was on the verge of a heart attack or apoplexy.

"Do whatever the hell you want! If it's wrong they can take it out of your hide, not mine," Polanski spat at him.

"Fine," Lee replied and returned to the control panels across the room. He made several minor adjustments which had an immediate effect on the engines. He could feel the sudden burst of speed as the engines surged providing the power they should have been supplying all along. That was followed by an immediate call from the control room.

"Engineering this is the con. What the hell's going on down there?" Kargarov said.

"Engineering here," Polanski responded. "There's nothing going on down here. Your wonder boy just started playing with the dials. You got a problem talk to him."

"Put him on," the captain replied. Polanski practically threw the mic at Lee as he walked over to answer the captain's call.

"Sherman."

"What the hell did you do?" Kargarov asked.

"Just what Polanski said; I turned a few dials. The engines are now producing power like they should have all along. If it's too much then I suggest you throttle back," Lee replied blandly.

Kargarov laughed. "No problem, just an unexpected surprise. Keep up the good work Sherman. And Polanski, keep an eye on him, maybe you'll learn something. Con out."

Lee handed the mic back to Polanski who viciously snatched it out of his hand and slammed it back into its cradle. He scowled at Lee, perspiration now freely running down his face as fear and anger raged through his corpulent body. "Don't get no ideas about taking over pretty boy, you ain't trusted yet."

"I already told you, I have no desire to take over this cesspool you've got here. However I'm not going to die because of your ineptitude though. These engines were on the verge of burning out the way you had things set, and that would have taken out the boiler, stranding us all down here until we died of suffocation. You just sit on your fat ass shoving cupcakes in your mouth, and I'll take care of the mechanics," Lee replied menacingly for the first time letting his lethal half peek out.

The effect on Polanski was immediate as his eyes grew wide, and his expression changed from outrage and disdain to undisguised terror. His innate sense of self-preservation told him this was the last man he wanted to cross. Given Sherman's expression, he had no doubt he wouldn't hesitate to end him in a heartbeat, and that would probably be applauded by everyone on board.

Lee turned around and stalked back to the consoles inwardly smiling at having made his point, and effectively taking control of the engine room and reactor. He focused his attention on the reactor and began balancing out its operation. He didn't want to give Kargarov too much power but when the time came he would need enough to take control, and head for some neutral port.

(olooo)

After nearly 10 hours in the engine room, Jones showed up and escorted Lee to the mess for dinner. As he entered he spotted two of his roommates as they made their way through the food line. Given the comments he heard from the men at the tables eating, Peterson must have been a dramatic improvement over the current cook. Lee joined the line behind Landeau and picked up a metal tray. Neither one spoke but acknowledged each other with a slight nod.

Dinner consisted of a hearty beef stew, fresh corn bread and a couple of canned vegetables. Oscar smiled wanly at his cabin mates, and served them a heaping ladle full of stew and a couple of pieces of the cornbread. Both men passed on the vegetables as they looked like something that had been put up some time during the Korean War.

As they picked up their coffee, they spotted Whitcome already seated alone at a small table and made their way over to join him. Ned nodded to them as they walked over, thrilled to see a friendly face again. He looked as though he'd been put through the wringer.

"Tough day, dear," Lee joked as he sat down next to him.

Whitcome blew out a huge breath, shook his head, then spoke quietly. "Man I don't think anyone has ever worked in the sickbay before. It was a complete mess and I've done nothing but clean up and organize shit since I got there. I'm still not done. How about you guys? How are your jobs?"

"I was run through the sonar, hydrophone, and communications stations. The equipment they're using was old when I entered the Navy 20 plus years ago. Everything is pretty well jury rigged and all it would take would be a stray spark to fry the whole system. I'm amazed they haven't run into anything yet." Landeau responded. "Tomorrow they want me to start rewiring their systems. I'd love to tell them to stuff it but after listening to some of the tales from the other draftees, Kargarov doesn't hesitate to carry out his threat. Apparently he disposed of my predecessor that way. How about you Sherman? I know you made the captain and his XO ecstatic when you amped up the engines."

"That was nothing. I just adjusted the controls to where they should be. I think I met the most repugnant man in the world in the engine room though. The smell was the worst, I just about tossed my cookies any number of times when he came over to see what I was doing. There are only the two of us in the engine room and Polanski isn't about to give me so much as the time of day so I really don't have a clue what happens on the boat," Lee replied.

"I had coffee with the other sonar operator and he pretty much filled me in on things. He said there are about 60 people on this boat, most of whom happen to be unwilling crewmen like us. There aren't many technical experts amongst Kargarov's crew, they pretty much focus on making sure everyone else works and take care of any malcontents. When they get an order for something, they are given the name and route of the vessel that has the item, then they stalk the ship and when it gets to a satisfactory location they sink it and dive the wreck to claim the item. That way nobody is really certain what was taken should there be any survivors," Landeau related. Lee scowled and shook his head in disgust.

"That's just plain sick," Whitcome responded. "They wipe out an entire ship and crew just to pick up a few items. What kind of stuff are they collecting?"

"Carrington didn't know. He's the guy operating the sonar. He's been aboard about six months now. He said when they get ready for a raid they lock up the drafted crew members unless they're absolutely necessary to run the boat so they can't interfere with operations or try and warn the boat they're hunting. Once they've collected the goods they make for a remote island off the coast of the PR to exchange parcels for money and to resupply."

"So why don't they just have the PR crew the boat? Would seem to save a lot of trouble," Whitcome asked.

"My guess is that it gives them plausible deniability should someone actually capture the boat," Lee offered. "From the little I've seen, there are people here from multiple countries in the trusted positions. Marty, am I correct in assuming all the paid crew members are dressed in black?"

Landeau nodded. "Based on what I've observed that's probably true. We've got the prisoner uniforms so we're easily identified at a glance."

"Makes sense," Lee replied. "Oh one other thing, there's a listening device in our quarters. I thought I spied it when I first woke up, and it was confirmed when I had my meeting with Kargarov."

Landeau and Whitcome stared at Lee and seemed somewhat perturbed he hadn't pointed it out to them at the time. Sensing their immediate distrust Lee clarified his reasoning. "I didn't point it out right away because I wasn't sure if that's what it was, and I didn't know if you guys were plants or not. Nothing personal, just a holdover from all my time in the Silent Service." Landeau nodded at his reasoning and eventually so did Whitcome.

"So what did Kargarov want to talk to you about?" Ned asked.

"He's trying to convince me to join them voluntarily as their engineer. The guy they've got down there now is totally clueless when it comes to reactors and engines. He probably was an engineer on some old surface vessel and that experience hasn't really translated well to the boat he's being asked to run now," Lee answered. "I'm really quite the catch apparently," he added blowing on his nails and buffing them against his shirt. The action drew an immediate snicker from the men at the table. As the laughter faded they returned their attention to their trays and resumed eating their meal in silence.

(olooo)


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

It had been over a week now, and still no sign of Lee Crane. Hardy's agents in Djibouti did come up with an interesting bit of information that there was a gang kidnapping men and selling them into service aboard vessels or for other endeavors requiring grunt labor, to the highest bidder. They had pulled in the Djibouti police, raided the group's headquarters, and came up with a wealth of passports, IDs and other personal effects of the men they had shanghaied. Looking through the documents recovered, they came across Lee's forged credentials and identification cards letting them know they had at least discovered why he hadn't shown up for the meet.

That was the extent of their luck however since there were no records regarding where the kidnapped men had been sent. It was a cash only business with no questions asked or answered, and from what the ring leader said very few repeat customers. There was no telling where they had gone once turned over to the buyers. The only lead they could follow up on was to check the crews of vessels that had been through the port after Crane had disappeared.

Knowing there was virtually no way to find Lee, Hardy finally made the decision to notify Nelson that his captain was missing. Tom pulled open his lower left desk drawer and removed a bottle of bourbon and a clean glass, then poured a generous shot and threw it back. He'd need that fortification once he broke the news to Harri.

He reached across the desk, picked up the phone and buzzed his aide sitting outside. "Webber get me Harriman Nelson on the Seaview. I believe they're somewhere in the Indian Ocean conducting fish surveys or some such nonsense."

"Yes sir, I'm on it," Webber replied then sprang into action making that happen. After 15 minutes he knocked on the admiral's door and peeked in letting him know Nelson was on the line.

Hardy nodded his thanks and stared at the phone momentarily as though it were a venomous snake that would jump out and bite him if he got too close. Steeling his resolve he picked up the receiver and hit the flashing button connecting him with Nelson.

"Harri, Tom here," Hardy started.

"Morning Tom, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Harri replied. "What's Lee done now?"

"Harri are you alone?" Tom asked.

"No. Do I need to be?" Harri replied as a dark specter skittered up his spine sending chills over his body.

"I think it would be advisable."

"Okay, just a minute," Harri responded. Hardy could hear Nelson dispatch the individuals with him, and then the crash doors to the nose section sliding shut. "I'm alone Tom, what's wrong?"

"Harri I need to let you know we've lost contact with Crane. As best we can ascertain he was kidnapped and sold into service to either a vessel or mining operation."

"What?! How the hell did that happen? When did that happen?" Harri bellowed.

"He never made the meeting with his contact. As soon as we were aware that he had failed to show up, we started making subtle inquiries at the usual places and came up with nothing. Once the information transfer was completed with another agent, we expanded our efforts and came up with a kidnapping ring preying on the sailors on liberty at the port," Hardy explained. "The Djibouti police busted the ring, and we found Lee's credentials amongst those of the other men they had shanghaied. One thing in Lee's favor is that these men just grabbed people based on their needs, with no eye towards who they really were. We're 99% certain that Lee is not in the custody of any unfriendly governments looking for information related to our operations or yours."

"Damn it to hell," Harri spat. He felt as though he'd been punched in the gut and was reeling badly from the shot. "Do you have any idea who has him or where he might have been taken?"

"According to the ring leader, it was a cash only transactions and his buyer only needed able bodied men. He thought they may have gone to a ship because the customer indicated sailing experience was preferred. I've got a list of all the vessels that have sailed since Lee disappeared, and we will have agents there to greet them when they make port. We've also sent out feelers for anything in the region that would rely on slave labor, but that's coming up blank," Hardy expounded. "I'm truly sorry Harri, I know how close you and Lee are. Although he may be in trouble, this is Lee Crane we're talking about, and if there's even the slightest chance of making it out he'll take it and succeed."

"I appreciate the notification, Tom. If there's anything we can do to help don't hesitate to let me know. I would also appreciate it if you would keep me up to date with your efforts to find him," Nelson replied.

"Of course Harri. I've not given up hope and neither should you. Again I'm truly sorry, I'll be in touch," Tom responded then hung up the phone.

(olooo)

Harri sat quietly in the nose as he digested what he had just heard from Hardy. It seemed unthinkable that Lee could be taken out by just human traffickers. The man had a sixth sense that worked overtime to keep him safe from situations like that, there had to be more to it than Hardy was letting on. The more he replayed Tom's words in his mind, the more sincere they seemed. He seemed as equally shaken up by Lee's disappearance as he now was.

Harri picked up his coffee cup and finished off the last of the cold dregs in the cup. His stomach already in a knot, the stale coffee only served to tighten it even further. He sighed deeply knowing now he needed to inform Chip and eventually the entire crew of Lee's disappearance. He knew Chip would be as concerned as he was, along with a good portion of the crew.

After a moment he pushed to his feet and headed up the staircase to his cabin. He entered and made a beeline to the head to splash some cool water on his face. He dried his face then walked over to his desk and hit the intercom. "Mr. Morton, report to my cabin."

"Morton here sir, I'm on my way," Chip responded instantly. Harri wasn't surprised at Chip's immediate response as he knew once Sparks informed him ONI was on the line he would be on alert until he found out what had gone wrong.

Harri sat down slowly at his desk, pulled open the left hand drawer of his desk and removed his bottle of the family label and two glasses. As he set them on the desk top there was a soft rap at his door and Chip entered.

Taking in Harri's shaken appearance and the bottle and glasses on the desk Chip knew immediately something was wrong, something had happened to Lee. "What's wrong sir? What did Admiral Hardy have to say?"

"Come over and sit down Chip," Harri replied. He poured them each a small shot and pushed the glass towards Chip. "Hardy called to say that Lee has gone missing. He never showed up for the information transfer, and they suspect he's been kidnapped by human traffickers and sold into slavery, most likely on a boat."

"What?! That doesn't sound likely. Lee would never leave himself open to something like that," Chip responded.

"According to Tom, they discovered the kidnapping ring when he dispatched agents to look into Lee's disappearance, and with the aid of the Djibouti police they raided the ring's headquarters and found Lee's credentials. There are no records of who bought whom, or where they went, but the head of the ring thought Lee went to someone looking for sailors," Nelson explained. "Tom's certain that it was just a crime of opportunity and not aimed at Lee specifically because some unfriendly government wanted him for the information in his head or a little revenge. If that's the case, then there's always a chance that Lee will seize any opportunity for escape and make it work."

"So what are they doing to find him, or have they just left him to the wolves like they usually do?" Chip snarled.

"They're checking the region for any illegal mining operations, and they have a list of all the vessels that left port since Lee was abducted and will be checking them out when they make their next port of call."

"That's just great. And what if the captains toss their impressed sailors overboard before they make port?" Chip asked angrily.

"If Lee's still alive, we're going to have to rely on his abilities to rescue himself. They've never failed him in the past, we just have to hope they don't now," Harri offered. "As long as there isn't a body, there's always hope and hope is a good thing."

Chip nodded solemnly. He picked up his glass and inclined it towards Harri. "Here's to hope," he said then threw back the shot as did Nelson. "Well sir, if there's nothing more, I need to let the crew know."

"No Chip, there's nothing else," Harri replied quietly. "He's the best Chip, we just need to keep reminding ourselves of that fact." Chip nodded and gave Nelson a small smile then turned and exited his cabin to break the news to the crew.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

They had been at sea for over a week based on Lee's best estimates. His captors kept interaction between the crewmembers to a minimum to no doubt prevent them from plotting a takeover. The only time he got to talk with anyone other than Polanski, Kargarov or Jones was at meal times and at the end of his shift when he was returned to his quarters along with his cabin mates.

Lee had been escorted to the mess and already had his meal and was seated at a table by the time Landeau and Whitcome showed up. He nodded to the men as they entered and moved to the food line. Watching Landeau he got the impression something was bothering him and waited anxiously for him to sit down and spill the beans.

"What's up Marty?" Lee inquired as the two men claimed seats at the table.

Landeau looked at him somewhat surprised that Sherman had guessed something was wrong without him even saying a word. "I think they're getting ready to make a run," Landeau replied quietly. "There was a radio message early this morning, and then the captain and Jones spent the rest of the morning pouring over charts."

"That's not good," Whitcome commented.

"No it's not," Lee replied. "Any idea when that might be taking place?"

"They didn't say but I would guess soon. Just before I left the control room, they bumped the speed of the boat up and dropped down to 300 feet."

"I thought I felt something change," Lee replied. "By the feel of it they're up to flank so your guess that it will be soon is probably spot on. Do you have any idea what our location is?"

"I think we're somewhere east of the Seychelles, if I read the charts correctly."

"The Seychelles? There's no shallow water east of there, what the hell are they doing?" Lee asked.

"I have no idea, but by the sounds of it, this will be one of their easier collections. Whatever that means," Marty added.

"That definitely doesn't sound good," Whitcome interjected.

As if to punctuate Landeau's observations, the klaxons suddenly went off and the armed guards entered the mess and ordered everyone to return to their cabins. Not having much choice, everyone in prisoner garb rose and began moving out the door. Lee and his roommates were escorted to their quarters, shoved inside, and the door was bolted shut.

"Well I guess that pretty much confirms your supposition, Marty," Lee said as he sat down on his bunk.

"What supposition?" Peterson inquired, having not been privy to their conversation.

"Marty thought the pirates were about to make a run on a vessel, and based on recent developments I think he's right," Lee explained.

As they sat there they felt the sub accelerate and shift course, then begin her rise towards the surface. After a few moments there was a very definite shudder of the boat, and Lee just closed his eyes and shook his head.

"What was that?" Whitcome asked.

"They just fired four torpedoes," Lee replied as he looked down and rubbed his forehead frustrated at being unable to take action.

"Seriously?" Peterson asked.

"Yes, it's unmistakable. Brace yourselves there is most likely going to be a bit of turbulence shortly." As Lee predicted the sub pitched and rolled slightly as the repercussions from the torpedoes exploding against the hull of the other vessel washed over the boat. What happened next completely surprised Lee as the sub was turned casually to port and resumed normal speed. Lee's head shot up, his eyes hard with anger.

"Bastards!" Lee cursed.

"What? I mean besides sinking that vessel?" Landeau asked.

"They aren't stopping to recover anything from that ship. They've turned around and are heading back the way we came," Lee explained.

"What?! Are you sure?" Peterson inquired.

"Oh yes, I'm very sure. Somebody just wanted that boat sunk. If what Marty said is correct about our location, the water is too deep for anyone to initiate any salvage efforts to recover what was aboard any time soon. My guess is that the boat was sunk to hide the fact that something that was supposed to be aboard her wasn't there."

Looks of horror and disgust registered on the other men's faces as they digested the ramifications of Lee's theory. How could anyone be so cold hearted as to just blow away a vessel and crew to hide their activities? As they sat silently in their cabin, the klaxons once again sounded and they heard the sound of men running down the passageway. The sub nosed down sharply and they all had to grab a support to keep from falling over.

Suddenly the sub was rocked violently as depth charges began exploding around the boat. Lee could feel the rapid change of direction and depth as Kargarov was bent on making his escape from whoever had found them. They heard shouts in the corridor as men tried to respond to leaks that were threatening to sink the sub.

After a few minutes the door to their room was thrust open and the guards waved them out. "You just made the damage control team. Get moving if you want to save your sorry hides," one of the guards ordered.

As Lee made to exit the cabin, he was grabbed by the shoulder. "Not you, you go to the engine room and make sure things are operating there. There's been no response from Polanski and the captain wants you there to take over." Lee nodded, quickly turned and ran down the corridor for the engine room.

(olooo)

Lee rapidly made his way down to his duty station and entered the engine room. He quickly understood why there had been no response, finding Polanski lying on the floor motionless in a growing pool of blood, moving only when the boat rocked in response to the explosive charges above. Across his forehead was a huge gash and a river of blood flowing down his face and neck. Lee moved to his side, knelt down and reluctantly felt for a pulse, not thrilled at having to touch the man. He quickly determined that he wasn't dead, and most probably had a concussion from meeting up with some part of the room. Convinced Polanski was in no mortal peril, Lee turned his attention to the engines and bringing them back on line.

As he worked he listened to the captain's orders to deploy countermeasures and to load all torpedo tubes. Kargarov apparently had some skill in submarine warfare and was doing his best to save his boat. Having just reestablished power, he was surprised when the next order from the bridge was to stop all engines. Lee acknowledged the order and complied wondering what he was up to.

Following that, the captain ordered them to blow all ballast tanks and the sub began a rapid rise to the surface. Once the boat surfaced, Lee waited apprehensively for what would happen next. Either the surface ship would blast them to hell or they would be boarded and all placed under arrest. As Lee prepared to exit the engine room to find out what was going on, he suddenly had company as Jones pushed him back in.

"What's going on?" asked Lee.

"Just get your ass back in there and stand ready to answer all bells," Jones replied as he pointed a gun at him.

Lee turned around, moved back to the control consoles and resumed his station. "Tell me what the hell's going on. Who's attacking us?"

"We were surprised by an Indian frigate. They apparently didn't take too kindly to us sinking one of their merchant vessels," Jones answered as he quickly regarded the inert lump of engineer on the engine room floor.

"And you honestly think we're going to be able to outrun their frigate in this crate?" Lee queried.

"You don't need to worry about that, you just need to be ready to kick those engines into high gear when Kargarov gives the order."

"Or what, you'll shoot me? That's not going to do you any good, Polanski's down for the count, and you have no one else on board with even a hint as how to operate these engines." Lee retorted.

"Believe me, we'll make do without you if we have to." Jones moved over to Polanski and kicked him in the side to make sure he wasn't just playing dead. The downed man didn't react in the least and Jones just snarled. "Just do what you're told or I will shoot you, and I will enjoy watching you slowly die."

"I take it Kargarov has no intention of surrendering."

"You're correct," Jones answered. "We lost radio capabilities with their first salvo so there's no way to contact them. He ordered us to the surface, and is now flying a flag of surrender. He's got a bunch of men on deck with their hands up, and once he draws the frigate in he'll seal the hatches, fire our torpedoes, and we'll be out of here before they know what hit them."

Lee couldn't disguise his shock and horror at the captain's plans. He involuntarily started to move towards the door but was pulled up short as Jones rammed the barrel of his revolver into Lee's gut.

"Get your ass back over there Sherman. You're not going anywhere, and you will answer the call from the control room. Got it?!" Jones hissed.

Lee nodded numbly realizing that there was nothing he could do to save the men on deck or those on the frigate, if perchance the Indian captain was drawn in by Kargarov's ploy. The sudden shudder of the boat told him the frigate's captain had given them the benefit of the doubt and was now going to pay the price. The second the torpedoes were away, the siren and the command "Dive, dive, dive," rang out over the intercom and the sub nosed down sharply as the ballast tanks were flooded sucking those stranded on the deck down with the boat as it sank out of sight.

"Ahead emergency flank," Kargarov ordered.

Jones leveled the gun at Lee's head. "You heard him, emergency flank."

Lee woodenly went through the motions of engaging the engines almost physically ill at the lives lost because of these evil men. He had to fight hard to keep his anger under control, and from doing something stupid that would get him killed or injured. Either condition would prevent him from wresting control of the boat away from Kargarov and his crew.

As he monitored the controls, his mind shifted into high gear working on his plan to take over the boat with the least amount of blood shed. Working through the various scenarios it turned out he bunked with the three men he needed most to pull the whole thing off. He just prayed that they weren't among the men forced out on the deck when the boat had surfaced.

(olooo)


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

"Admiral Nelson, call from COMSUBLANT coming through for you," Sparks said over the intercom.

"Thank you Sparks, I'll take it here in my cabin. Put the admiral through," Nelson replied.

"Aye sir," Sparks responded and completed the connection.

"Harri, Roger here," Admiral Roger Braden, head of COMSUBLANT said.

"Afternoon Roger, what can I do for you?" Nelson inquired.

"Harri are you still off the coast of Palau?" Braden asked.

"Yes, more or less. We're in transit towards Java to conduct some surveys there."

"Good. Harri, there have been a number of attacks on ships in the Indian Ocean over the last several months, I'm sure your aware of that. The renegade has targeted commercial traffic, seemingly arbitrarily sinking vessels. Well they just struck again, this time sinking a large Indian flagged container ship. This time however they were detected, tracked, and intercepted by an Indian frigate patrolling the region and it turns out the renegade vessel is a submarine. After subjecting the sub to a number of depth charges, the crew of the frigate spotted oil and debris in the water, and the sub surfaced shortly after that. Once on the surface, the captain of the sub raised a white flag indicating surrender and had a number of his crewmen on the deck with their hands up. Then without warning, he fired four torpedoes, and dived the boat with his crewmen still on deck. The frigate sustained serious damage including some fatalities, and is now dead in the water." Braden explained.

"I take it you want us to join in the hunt for this submarine since we happen to be in the general vicinity," Harri replied, picking up on Braden's drift immediately.

"Exactly. Seaview is the next closest boat to where the attack occurred. According to the captain of the Indian ship, the submarine is an old PR barracuda class boat. He thinks after the attack on them, it turned tail and headed west. We want you to track down and take out that submarine before it can attack anyone else." Braden ordered. "We have authorization from the CNO and SECNAV to place Seaview on active duty status."

"All right Roger, we're at your service. Have the last known coordinates and any other information you can provide us transmitted as soon as possible," Harri replied with a hint of resignation.

"Will do Harri. Don't take any chances with this son of a bitch, he's already shown he has no morals, and cares nothing for human life the way he sacrificed his own men to escape. As soon as you locate him, blow him out of the water," Braden nearly spat.

"We'll do our best to put him out of commission Roger. Send us the information and we'll get on his trail right away. Nelson out."

Harri sat back in his chair and replayed the conversation with Braden. The prospect of engaging another submarine in battle didn't thrill him even though he would be facing an inferior, outdated boat. As he shifted to a war time mentality, more than ever he missed having his captain and _son_ being in command. Chip was an excellent captain, but there was something special with Lee, an almost sixth sense when it came to engaging another boat in combat. It was as though he somehow keyed in on the opposing skipper's mind and seemed to read his thoughts and strategies before they could be put into action.

"Damn it Lee, where the hell are you, son?" Nelson said aloud quietly.

Harri reached for the intercom and hit the button. "Mr. Morton, this is Nelson, report to my cabin immediately."

"This is Morton, on my way sir," Chip replied almost instantly.

(olooo)

Chip quickly turned over command to O'Brien, exited the control room, and headed for the admiral's cabin. He was aware of the incoming call from COMSUBLANT and was somewhat fearful they had called to inform Nelson that they had found Lee's body. Tamping down his personal fears he knocked on the admiral's door and was beckoned in.

Doing a quick scan of the room, he was set somewhat at ease by the admiral's appearance. There was none of the worry and dread showing on his face like after the last communications they had received from Washington, informing them Lee had disappeared. His expression was pure business which dispensed with any informality usual to their conversations. Also missing was the scotch bottle and glasses, again indicating the call probably hadn't pertained to Lee.

"Reporting as ordered, sir," Chip stated, as he stood nearly at attention in front of Nelson's desk.

"Take a seat Chip. I just got off the phone from COMSUBLANT, and we have been reactivated as a US Navy vessel for the purposes of hunting down and neutralizing a rogue submarine that has been attacking commercial and now military vessel traffic in the region," Harri began. He then recounted what Braden had told him about the last encounter between the sub and the two vessels it had recently attacked. "We should be receiving last known coordinates and any other data the Indian frigate was able to supply shortly, at which point will begin actively hunting down that boat."

"So do you think the PR is behind this?" Chip asked.

"If they are, it's indirectly. Their barracuda class subs have been retired for over 15 years. The most they're probably doing is providing safe harbor and fuel rods. Something as overt as attacking shipping and another nation's navy is a little over the top, even for them," Harri replied. "Chip, brief the department heads about what's coming, and then when we get the intel from COMSUBLANT let the rest of the crew know what's going on so everyone is ready to play for keeps."

"Aye sir. I'll get right on it." Chip responded as he rose to leave.

"Chip, I want you to know I have the same confidence in you that I do in Lee," Harri said as he read the rare glimpse of trepidation in Chip's expression.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate that. I hope I don't let you down."

"You never have, and you never will, lad."

(olooo)

Tom Hardy picked up the phone quickly hoping not to disturb his wife as she lay sleeping next to him in bed. It was nearly 0200 and he really wasn't expecting a call from anyone at this hour. "Hardy," he said groggily.

"Admiral, this is Captain Aaron Champion over at Naval Personnel. I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but we've received an inquiry regarding a person of interest to ONI, and instructions are to contact you immediately day or night."

"Don't worry about it Captain. What have you got for me?" Hardy replied as he pushed out of bed and made his way out of the bedroom into the hall.

"Sir, we received a request for past employment information for one former Lt. Commander David Sherman. The request was looking for information regarding his previous postings within the Navy, the reason for his discharge, and his current location. In accordance with the instructions associated with that file sir, we indicated that Mr. Sherman was the former engineering officer aboard the SSBN Mako, and had been given a general discharge following his resignation from the Navy. With regards to his current location, we reported that his whereabouts are unknown," Champion reported.

"Do you know where this inquiry came from Captain?" Hardy asked, his heart racing as he immediately recognized Crane's fall back cover identity in the event he was captured or needed an immediate cover if he was for some reason detained against his will.

"The inquiry came from a personnel service providing background certifications for a number of international marine shipping companies. This company has long been considered to be a cover for PR operatives trying to verify information on US military personnel. They are home based in Djibouti, Africa."

"When did this request come in?" Hardy asked urgently.

"We received the request about 24 hours ago, sir. It was entered into the queue with all the other requests and we have just accessed it," Champion reported.

Hardy let loose a relieved sigh. Lee was still alive and whoever had him captive had no idea his true identity. "Captain, back track that request and provide all information to my office immediately. Great work, and thank you for the call."

"Your welcome sir," Champion replied. "Everything we have will be sent to your office ASAP. Is there anything else I can do for ONI, sir?"

"No that's more than sufficient. Again, thank you for the call," Hardy replied.

"You're welcome sir. Have a good morning sir."

Tom damn neared shouted with joy, but restrained himself trying not to wake his family. He quickly made his way downstairs and went to his office. He grabbed the phone and contacted the duty officer at ONI.

"ONI, Lt. Tompkin," the young voice responded.

"Lieutenant, this is Admiral Hardy, put me through to Captain Walsh."

"Yes sir, right away, sir," Tompkin replied. Seconds later Hardy heard Walsh's gruff voice.

"Walsh here Admiral, what can I do for you sir?" Walsh inquired.

"Chad we just got confirmation that Commander Crane is most likely still alive. A personnel agency with ties to the PR just tried to ferret out background information on Crane's emergency cover. Naval Personnel will be transmitting everything they have on the request to our office shortly. Once that arrives get our man at the consulate in Djibouti up to speed and checking out their offices at once. Also I need you to put me through to Harriman Nelson on the SSRN Seaview," Hardy ordered.

"Yes sir. I'll get rolling on that immediately sir. I'll have the call to Admiral Nelson put through directly to your home number," Walsh replied then hung up.

Hardy found it difficult to contain his excitement at the thought that Lee Crane may still be alive and was calling out to ONI to come find him. He made his way to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, not so much because he wanted the drink but needed a way to kill the time until Walsh put Nelson's call through to him. Nearly 20 minutes later his phone rang and he snatched it up after the first ring. "Hardy."

"Admiral, this is Walsh. Sir I'm unable to contact the Seaview. Apparently she has been ordered to maintain radio silence due to an assignment from COMSUBLANT. They are engaged in a search and destroy mission going after an old PR submarine in the Indian Ocean that is targeting civilian and military vessel traffic in the region."

"Damn!" Hardy swore. "Well keep in touch with COMSUBLANT and put me through as soon as the Seaview emerges. It's imperative that I speak with Nelson immediately." After hanging up, Hardy had a horrific thought, given Crane's penchant to be in the thick of things and the place Tom least wanted him at times, Lee was most likely on that sub as an unwilling crewman. The thought that Harri had been assigned the task of destroying the rouge sub that probably had his captain and son aboard filled him with a sense of dread. He prayed to god that he was wrong. If, hell when, Seaview did succeed in destroying the boat, there would be no way to verify who was on board, and if Lee didn't eventually turn up he was afraid he'd have to reveal to Harriman his suspicions which would devastate his old friend. Oh god did he hope he was wrong.

(olooo)


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

It was barely controlled chaos on the sub, which Lee had mentally dubbed the _Scourge_ , as the crew fought to repair the damage inflicted by the Indian vessel's depth charges. There was a tension that radiated throughout the boat that could be felt all the way down to the bilges. After nearly 30 minutes of running at flank, Lee finally called the con. "Con this is Sherman."

"Kargarov here, what is it?" snapped the captain.

"You have to throttle back to no more than one third power on the starboard engine and kill the port or risk losing the engines entirely," Lee informed the captain. "It would be better still if you could bottom the boat so I can repair the damage done during your little escapade."

"Why, what's wrong?" Kargarov inquired.

"Those depth charges shook a number of things loose, overloaded some of the circuits, and the engines are laboring badly, and on the verge of burning out. You keep pushing like you are and there won't be a damn thing I can do to keep these things running."

"Bottoming the boat is not an option; it's too deep. Reduce power to one third and take the port engine off line. How long until you get everything repaired?"

"I'm operating alone down here. Polanski was knocked unconscious during the bombing and hasn't moved. I need Whitcome down here to see to him, and I also need some assistance if you want these engines back on line anytime in the near future. If he's still on board," Lee said bitterly, "Peterson has engine room experience and can assist me."

Kargarov turned and looked at Jones for confirmation. Trevor nodded having already informed the captain of the chief engineer's status. "Alright, get to work and I'll have Peterson and Whitcome escorted down there. Kargarov out."

Lee smiled momentarily, getting his two cabin mates down in the engine room with him would enable him to begin putting his plan to take control of the boat into action. He looked over at Polanksi once more, and noticed that he was starting to fight his way back to consciousness. Having him around would complicate things. He didn't know Polanski's story or how he came to be on the boat. He hadn't been inclined to share any information about himself and since his clothing didn't match either conscript or paid crew Lee had no idea how he fit into the scheme of things. Given his lowly status amongst the crew, Lee might just be able to convince him to stand with him when the time came.

Fifteen minutes later Peterson and Whitcome were brought to the engine room and directed to assist Lee however he needed. The guard showed them in then secured the door; no one wanted to be anywhere near Polanski, which was another thing working in Lee's favor. As the two men entered Lee directed Whitcome over to the downed man and had Peterson come over and assist him.

He had to smile as he saw Whitcome's reaction at seeing Polanski for the first time, and then having to get all too close. His reaction was much like his own and he could see him struggling hard to control his gag reflex as he worked on his patient. Ned sucked it up though and professionally attended to the injured man.

Lee waved Peterson over to him and asked him to outline what experience he had working with engines. Based on what he said he too was more skilled at this type of work than Polanski ever thought of being. He directed Oscar over to one of the control panels and got him started on replacing blown circuits while he jumped in on the engines proper.

After about 30 minutes, Whitcome had done all he could for Polanski with the supplies he had with him. He moved to the door, opened it, and informed the guard that he needed assistance in moving Polanski to sick bay. The guard shook his head no, there was no way they were going to manhandle that lump through the narrow corridors of the sub. He called the con and told them what Whitcome had said. Jones directed him to send Whitcome back to sickbay to get the supplies he needed and treat Polanski in place.

Lee smiled to himself, that development would give Whitcome a reason to come and go as needed to tend to his patient and hopefully to carry out the actions Lee needed to begin their takeover of the boat. The guard let Whitcome return to sickbay unescorted setting a very desirable precedent of greater freedom of movement for the medic.

(olooo)

As Lee and Peterson continued to work on the engine consoles, Lee finally set things in motion. "Oscar, what would you say to helping me take over the boat and hopefully getting us to a neutral port and freedom?" he asked quietly.

Peterson turned his head and stared at Lee in amazement for a few moments as he made sure he'd heard what he thought he had heard. "You mean mutiny?" he replied in a hushed voice.

Lee nodded. "I mean exactly that. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to be a slave the rest of my life, killing innocent sailors just so some scum can get rich. It goes against my grain, and my morals. So what do you say?"

"What can we do? They've got all the guns, they give us zero freedom, we're being monitored in our quarters; how do you expect to organize enough people to pull that off?" Oscar inquired.

"I have a plan and you, Ned, and Marty are key players in making it possible. If you say no, I'll understand and don't blame you a bit," Lee answered.

Peterson continued to stare at Lee. He had had a good feeling about this guy from the very first and his first impressions were usually right. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'll be more than happy to help you out. I don't like what's going on either and don't want to die just because my casserole was too spicy or something. What can I do?"

Lee smiled broadly and clapped him on the back. "Thanks. I'm going to need your help on two fronts. I'm going to count on you for knocking out as much of the regular crew as possible by means of your position in the galley. You also come in contact with everyone on board, you know how many black shirts there are, and you can pass on messages to the involuntary crew when you serve them in the meal line if we need that. I'm also going to get you up to speed on these engines so when I make my move on Kargarov and Jones I have a competent engineering officer ready to run things here."

Peterson smiled. "I can do that. So when do we start?"

"Right now. We've got a very narrow window of opportunity with the sub being in such bad shape, and Kargarov's men having to let the crew move around without escorts so they can make timely repairs. I'm going to give you a crash course in submarine engine operations and reactor control. The reactor shouldn't require much oversight but the engines will, since they're not in the greatest of condition," Lee answered.

"Great, but what about Polanski? Won't he rat us out?"

"I'm sure he can be convinced to stand with us or at the very least stand out of the way. From what I can tell, no one likes the man so I doubt he's got much loyalty to Kargarov or Jones. If he adamantly refuses to play, Whitcome can take him out of the equation easily enough with some of the things in sickbay; sedatives can be amazing tools," Lee said with a laugh as he flashed back on his CMO's nasty habit of employing the same tool to keep him down and out.

Lee quickly began laying out the basics of nuclear submarine engine operations for Peterson. He caught on easily and would be an excellent ally once the takeover swung into high gear. As they worked, they were joined again by Whitcome when he returned to finish his ministrations on Polanski. He quickly pulled out a suture kit and placed a number of stitches to close the open gash in the engineer's forehead. Once he placed the bandage over his needlework he began stowing his gear and preparing to leave. Seeing that he was finished with his patient, Lee waved him over to join him and Peterson.

"Man, that was a challenge," Whitcome said as he shook his head in disgust. "How did you get over the smell? I've been around festering dead things that smell better."

Lee chuckled quietly. "Lots and lots of mouth breathing," he replied with a wink. "Ned I have a proposition for you."

"Oh? What's on your mind?" he replied curiously.

"I've got a plan to take over the boat and hopefully get us to safety, and these creeps in the hands of the authorities. Would you be interested in helping out?" Lee asked.

Whitcome looked first at Lee and then Oscar who gave him a nod of assurance. "What have you got in mind?"

Lee smiled broadly and patted him on the shoulder. "You, Oscar, and Marty are key components of my plan given your positions on the boat. Hopefully you have access to drugs that can be used to incapacitate the majority of the black shirts, making it easier to seize control. Oscar here is our method of administering the sedatives via the chow line, and will then take over in the engine room once I make the run on Kargarov. As the medic, you seem to have rather free access to the boat and the crew. You can pass on messages and help coordinate the groups needed to make this work. Would you be willing to join us? If you say no I understand and won't hold it against you," Lee explained.

"Hell yes I want to help," Ned nearly shouted, then blushed slightly as he realized he could have given them away. "Sorry, I'm just excited about the prospect of getting out of here. I've been trying to come up with ways to do it but really didn't know where to start. So what specifically do you want me to do?"

Lee and Oscar smiled broadly at their coconspirator and each placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take a look at what's available in your medical stores that can be used to knock the black shirts out for a long time. Oscar here knows how many of them are on the boat and when they eat so he will be the one to start knocking them out and reducing the number of men we need to deal with. Ideally the drug needs to be something that doesn't take effect immediately but makes them sleepy and then knocks them down for a good long time. Is there anything like that in the pharmacy?"

"I'm not sure, I'll have to check. The shaking the boat took undid all my work so I'll have to re-stow everything which will make it easy for me to check things out without looking suspicious. If I find something, how do I let you know?" Whitcome asked.

"Well since they won't let you move Polanski into sickbay, you have the perfect excuse to return to check on him, and to pass the drugs on to Ned here for salting the food so to speak. How long before you think you can check out your stores?" Lee inquired

"I'm pretty much done with treating the injured on the boat. Most of the injuries were to our kind and it was mostly bumps, bruises and strains. Polanski here is actually the worst of the bunch. Speaking of which, you want me to take him out as well?"

"Wouldn't that be kind of dangerous with the concussion?" Lee asked.

Whitcome stared at him strangely for a moment. "Why would you care about that? Isn't he a willing member of the crew?"

"I have no idea what his story is other than he's a miserable person to be around. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, call it my personal failing. I can't see Kargarov purposely hiring such a poor engineer. I know he can't stand him or Jones or anyone on board for that matter so I think should he come to, he can either be swayed to stand with us or at least out of the way. If he won't, he gets the same meal as the black shirts." Lee answered.

"You really want to take that chance?" Peterson asked.

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "He could come in handy if things go wrong down here."

"Okay we'll do it your way. I'll head back to sickbay now and start looking through the drugs they've assembled. I'll come back down as soon as I find something and to 'check' on my patient." Whitcome replied with a smile.

"Thanks Ned. Once you come up with something, then we'll start recruiting for our band of mutineers. As I told Oscar, we have a very narrow window of opportunity here with everything so unsettled. I'm hoping this is all said and done by tomorrow night."

"Me too. I'll be back as soon as I can." Whitcome responded then turned and exited the engine room to go tidy up his sickbay.

(olooo)

Once Whitcome had left, Lee and Oscar returned to their work on the engines. As they worked Ned laid out how the black shirt shifts worked on the boat. They had been divided into three shifts to ensure that there was an alert cadre of guards on duty at all times. Ned explained that usually the first shift ate and retired to their quarters a couple of hours before the next shift showed up for their 'breakfast' which replaced the on-duty crew a couple of hours after that.

It would work out perfectly. The dinner crowd would eat the doctored meal and then go to bed as usual without a hint that they had been drugged. They would be dead to the world and unable to respond should any alarms go off. The second shift would just start dropping off from their drugging about the time the on-duty shift was ready to knock off for the day. That would be when they would have to act to seize the weapons, storm the control room, and take over. Based on Oscar's count they would be dealing with approximately 7 to 9 armed men.

Kargarov and Jones didn't usually walk around armed which should make it easier for them to be taken down. The one bit of information Lee desperately needed was where they were in the ocean. They needed to be in an area where the boat could survive a dive to the bottom if they somehow lost control of the helm. Marty was the man he had to talk to next to get an idea of the bathymetry around them. He prayed that by now they were in a shallower area of the ocean. He would still make the attempt even if they were over deep water but one less thing against them the better.

As they finished up with the console they had been working on the guard entered the engine room and told Peterson to report to the galley to get started on dinner. Oscar quickly wiped his hands off and headed for the door. As he left Whitcome entered carrying his med kit and told the guard he had to check on Polanski. The guard nodded him over as he escorted Peterson out.

Lee looked up at Ned and was thrilled to see the wide grin he flashed him unseen by the guard, as he moved over to Polanski to check his vitals. The guard shut the hatch and they were once more alone.

Completing his check of the still unconscious engineer, Ned walked quickly over to Lee. "Bingo!" he whispered. "I found exactly what we need." He reached into his kit and pulled out a number of vials and handed one to Lee.

Lee accepted the vial and scrutinized it closely. "Flunitrazepam? What is it?"

"It's a really powerful sedative that will leave them unconscious for up to 36 hours depending on the dose. It's known as a date rape drug, which puts 'em out and leaves them with amnesia in the morning along with a bitchin' hangover. Probably what they used on us in the bar," Ned explained. "Oscar will need to put at least one vial into each batch of whatever he decides. It's odorless and tasteless so nobody should get wise to him until it's too late," he added with a deliciously evil smile. Lee responded with his own devilish smile as it looked like things were going to fall into place.

(olooo)


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

It had been nearly 20 hours since the attack by the Indian frigate when the guard finally opened the hatch and motioned Lee to exit and head to the mess hall. He wearily moved down the corridor and into the galley to collect his meal. He was actually very hungry not having had anything to eat since the day before. He spotted his other cabin mates as he entered and nodded an acknowledgement to them as he headed to the line.

Peterson had made a simple meal of soup and sandwiches given the limited amount of time he was given to cook. As Lee passed by he served him his food and looked expectantly at his face. Lee flashed a slight smile and winked. "Peterson, thanks for the help in the engine room. I'd have had a tough time making repairs without you," he said loud enough for the guards to hear and hopefully report back to the captain and exec.

"No problem Dave, it was great getting my hands dirty again."

Lee nodded then moved over to the coffee urn, collected a cup of coffee, and headed to the table where Landeau and Whitmore were seated. He joined them then quickly dug into his meal as he waited for the guards to move off as they usually did once everyone was down and eating.

"How are things going, Marty?" Lee inquired between bites.

"It's been a bitch trying to get everything repaired following that attack," he replied. "We've lost the radio for good until we reach port, fried most of the circuits to the hydrophone, and sonar is being really temperamental and not wanting to play nice. There are quite a few electronic systems offline on the boat so internal coms are patchy at best, and I had to cut power to a number of non-essential monitoring systems. How about you?"

"Engines took a beating but Peterson was sent down to help out and we're getting back on track," Lee replied as he surreptitiously eyed the guards making sure they were beyond earshot. "Has Ned talked to you?"

Landeau looked up at Lee and gave him a quick nod. "Yes, he briefly mentioned some of what went on in the engine room." He shot a quick glance across the room making sure where the guards were. "What's the plan and how can I help?" he continued quietly.

Lee gave him a quick grin then looked down at his meal. "I need to know where we are and the water depths we're passing through. If we're in waters deeper than crush depth that just adds another level of risk to our undertaking once we start things off. Also if you can describe how things work and shifts change in the control room, and how much of a presence Kargarov and Jones have, that would be very helpful."

Marty nodded. "Luckily with all the rewiring and repairs I've been making, I've had ample opportunity to look over the nav charts. We're heading back towards the Seychelles and the depth in the region we're transiting now is just over 1,400 feet."

Lee quickly ran through what he knew of this area of the ocean world. If they maintained current course and speed, the water depth should be less than 1000 feet in 12 hours. He flashed a quick smile at his dining companions letting them know the cards were being stacked in their favor. "You said you took a number of 'non-essential' electronic systems off line, does that include those in certain quarters?" Landeau nodded. Lee flashed him a quick smile and took another couple bites of food.

"I suggest then we table this discussion until we're taken back to our cabin for the night and we're _all_ together." Whitcome and Landeau gave him a quick nod of agreement and turned their attention back to their meal.

(olooo)

As their meal time ended, Lee and crew deposited their dishes in the dish tub and were escorted back to their quarters for the night. It had been a long and stressful day trying to make repairs following the attack from the frigate and they were all beat. They immediately climbed into their bunks and let loose relieved sighs as their bodies began to relax. Lee laid quietly on his bunk for several minutes listening to the activity outside their cabin. Certain that the guards were no longer in close proximity, he sat up and looked at the three men he needed most to carry out his plans.

"Are you all certain you want to be a part of this?" Lee asked quietly to avoid being heard by anyone that might be outside their door.

"I'm in," replied Peterson.

"Me too," Whitcome seconded.

"Can't happen soon enough," added Landeau.

"Thanks," Lee responded with a grateful grin. "Okay, now we need to start plotting out how this will all go down. I think we need to shoot for tomorrow, the longer we wait, the more collected they will be. They're still off balance from the attack, and from trying to get the boat back in operational status. How many total black shirts are there on board? Were any of them injured in the attack?" Lee inquired.

"From what I've seen there are a total of 25, if you include Kargarov and Jones," Peterson answered.

"Yes, in answer to your second question," added Whitcome. "Two sustained head injuries and are out of action for a while, and another 3 have very bad sprains to their knees or ankles so they're nearly immobile."

"That's good, they've taken a 20% hit to their force. Hopefully that will work to our favor," Lee responded. "Ned you have the sedatives, correct?"

"Yeah right here," he replied and pulled out six vials of Flunitrazepam. "There's enough here to knock out the entire crew for over 36 hours. A vial or two in their coffee or juice urn will knock out anyone who partakes."

"Excellent. Once it's been administered how long before it takes affect?"

"Taken orally, and of course based on the amount, it should start knocking them out within 30 to 45 minutes," Ned answered.

"Okay, give those to Oscar, he's the one that's going to be feeding it to the black shirts starting with the dinner sitting for the guys coming off shift. They'll be tired anyway and should go down pretty quickly. Nobody should notice that they can't be roused because they head to bed after dinner. Oscar you need to make sure only they get dosed. If anyone on the current shift gets some we're done."

"Not a problem, Dave. I'll throw it in the coffee urn. I've noticed that they all have a cup with their dinner. Kargarov doesn't let the men on the active shift come down while on duty, if they want something we deliver it."

"Good to know. If we can keep them away from the mess they won't notice when you dose the breakfast shift," Lee explained. "You're going to need to give them a double dose so they go down fast before they can report anything to Kargarov. Once they start passing out, grab their guns and keys."

Oscar smiled widely. "That will be a definite pleasure."

"We need to let the rest of the guys know what's going on so they're ready to help once the guards start dropping. Ned since you seem to have the greatest amount of freedom to move to different parts of the boat without an escort, it's going to be your job to pass on the plan everywhere but the control room. Is that something you can do?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. There are injured people working in all areas of the boat, and I'll just say I'm checking up on them to make sure there are no complications."

"Now comes the tricky part, letting the guys in the control room know what's going on without alerting Kargarov or Jones. Are they both there most of the time, Marty?" Lee asked.

"Yes pretty much, especially since the attack. Karagarov stays in the con and dispatches Jones to check things out since the intercom is pretty much down. They spell each other for meals, breaks and sleep."

"Do you think you'd be able to alert our guys about what's about to go down without drawing attention to yourself?" Lee asked.

"I think I can. I've been taken off sonar and tasked with getting everything rewired and running again. I need to go to each station to check power feeds and the like," Landeau answered.

"Good. After you've passed the word, do you think you would be able to make it down to the circuitry room to complete your repairs?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. Why do you need me there?" Marty inquired.

"We need you to tip the odds in our favor by destabilizing the boat and suddenly shifting vessel trim throwing anyone not expecting it off balance. I'll give you the instructions to jury rig the panel taking momentary control away from the helmsmen, and give you a specific time to do it. That way our guys will be able to brace themselves and everyone else will be tossed off their feet. Once that happens, everyone needs to move and subdue the guard closest to them," Lee explained. "Also the last thing you want to fix is the intercom. With that inoperative they can't alert each other to a problem."

"Is there any way you could be brought to the circuitry room to check the connections to engineering? I'm not sure I'd be able to carry that one off by myself. You could screw with the engine control settings a bit so it looks like there's a problem, and then tell them you need to check out the circuits yourself," Marty offered.

"That's a good idea Marty. I can rewire the console and show you how to activate it, then return to the engine room so I don't raise suspicions. Once back I can initiate my plans to get to the control room before the roll. As it stands right now I'm left pretty much alone as long as Polanski is in the engine room. No one else willingly comes in, the stench is so bad. There's a large air vent in the room that will give me access to most of the boat. After the next shift heads to breakfast and Oscar here dopes them up, I'll get into the shaft and start making my way towards the control room."

"Don't you think Polanski will give you up?" Peterson asked.

"Well as of the end of shift he was unconscious, and if he's still that way when the time comes, no problem. If he does start coming to, I'll make other arrangements such as duct tape and a gag," Lee answered with a smile.

"Is there enough tape on board to do that?" Whitcome joked. They all laughed, relishing the brief moment of humor in their tense discussion.

"So what's your meal schedule look like Oscar?" Lee asked.

"Let's see, the first group we'll put down will be the 0000 to 0800 shift. They have dinner at 1000 and then head to their racks shortly after that. The 1600 to 2400 shift shows up for breakfast around 1400, so the second group should start passing out around 1430 or so, 90 minutes before the mid shift is relieved at 1600. That's assuming all goes according to plan."

"Okay being optimistic in our abilities to pull this off, the vessel roll needs to occur precisely at 1440. Even if all the late shift crew isn't completely down they should be groggy enough that the sudden shift in orientation will take them out. Once the boat rolls and returns to trim, that's the signal to start taking out the black shirts. Marty see about getting into the circuitry room as soon as possible. I'll set the engines up to surge and drop off a few times and that should get me there to check on things as well."

"I'll do my best."

"So what happens when we take control? How do we get back home?" Ned asked.

Lee smiled. "I've done more than a few turns in the control room on subs, so unless someone has major heartburn with me acting as captain, I think I can get us to a neutral port where we can turn over the boat, our prisoners, and get us back home where we belong."

"Well if this works, you sure as hell have my vote as captain," Oscar interjected and the other men nodded in agreement.

Lee laughed. "Thanks for the votes of confidence. I think we best get what sleep we can, I have a feeling they're going to roust us out earlier than usual."

(olooo)


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

As predicted Kargarov cut short the amount of sleep for the conscripts, wanting them back at work as soon as possible to complete the repairs so he could limp back to his base and safety. Following their morning meal they were deposited at their duty stations to continue with repairs.

In the control room Marty began making his rounds of each station, rooting around behind the cover plates of the consoles making 'repairs' and testing circuits. In the course of fiddling with the equipment he passed on the plans for their takeover and received wholehearted agreement to assist.

Having completed his checks, he approached Kargarov. "Captain, I need to go to the circuitry room to inspect the wiring, check some connections, and double check the feeds from some of these stations."

"You get communications up yet?" Kargarov snarled impatiently.

"No. We lost the antenna tower in the attack, and a number of critical circuits were fried as a result of the power surges, and I have no replacements for them. I can only work with what you've given me." Landeau replied calmly.

Kargarov glowered at him, not certain if he was telling the truth or not. "Alright. Mr. Jones see him down to the circuitry room and have someone keep a close eye on him."

"Will do," Jones answered and motioned Landeau to precede him through the aft hatch. As Marty walked past him and through the hatch he let a slight smile slip across his lips, they were one step closer to freedom.

(olooo)

After checking on the couple of men in his tiny sick bay, Ned was delighted to find he was still being given free passage throughout the boat. He began making his rounds checking on the injured men in each section and passing on the plans for taking control of the boat.

Like Landeau, he gained 100% cooperation with the plan. Following Kargarov's stunt stranding the crew on deck then dropping the boat out from under them, those still on board were pissed, and not a little afraid that he'd do something similar if cornered again. They were more than ready to take control and revenge.

Meanwhile, Oscar worked quickly preparing dinner for the black shirts coming off shift. He made a 'special' pot of coffee for them to ensure they slept soundly once they returned to their quarters for the night. Down five men, they were covering more duties like everyone else and were more tired than usual. He watched with great satisfaction as they all ate his meal and chased it down with multiple cups of coffee. One shift down, one to go.

(olooo)

Once Lee was deposited back in the engine room, the first thing he did was check on Polanski. He was still unconscious so he checked his pulse and made sure he was breathing okay. Satisfied he was not in any real distress, he pulled the blanket back over him and moved to the control panels to begin his work.

Three hours into his shift, Lee began fluctuating the power feed to the engines resulting in very obvious surges and lags in propulsion. It only took a couple of rounds before he had Kargarov's attention.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Kargarov fumed to Jones.

"Got no idea. You want me to go down and check?" Jones replied.

"No, I'll take care of this myself. You stay here and keep us on course."

"Will do," Jones replied as he watched Kargarov head for the aft hatch.

Kargarov quickly made his way down to the engine room to discover the reason for the erratic propulsion. Not thrilled with the situation, he stormed into the space. "What the hell is going on with the engines?!" he bellowed.

Lee turned from his control panel to regard the irate captain. "I'm having problems regulating the energy flow from the reactor to the engines. I've been over every panel here and can't find a reason. I think there may be a problem with some of the control circuits in the circuitry room," he replied evenly.

Kargarov looked over at the inert form of Polanski and sneered. He walked over to the control panels and perused the settings, looking for any obvious attempts to sabotage them. Finding nothing out of the ordinary he had to agree with Sherman's assessment. "You know Sherman, it would be well worth your while to throw in with us voluntarily. Based on what I've read, you were one of the best your navy had and that kind of talent should be compensated appropriately."

Lee looked up from the control panel and stared at Kargarov. "You had me checked out?"

"Yes, I wanted to know who I really had on board. I still find it rather amazing that they dumped you because you attacked a man that had quite obviously gone off the deep end. One hell of a reward for saving your shipmates and your boat." Lee stared at him coldly choosing not to reply. "You've also proven yourself as quite an asset here. I wasn't kidding when I told you I could make you rich. Our last run netted us well over $10 million and as a _skilled_ member of the crew, you would receive a hefty share of that payoff."

Lee scowled and shook his head in disgust. "I told you when I came aboard, I'm not into piracy. My conscience and personal integrity aren't for sale."

"Pity," Kargarov replied. "Once we make port, I think we shall have another _discussion_ with the aid of our hosts to see if we can persuade you to change your mind."

Lee glowered at the man knowing exactly what kind of discussion that would entail and what types of persuasion might be employed. He had no doubt Kargarov would make good on his threat, further fueling his need to carry out his planned mutiny.

Kargarov gave Lee an unsettling smile in hopes of further unnerving the younger man. "Griggs, get in here!" he yelled.

"Yeah, what do you need?" Griggs replied as he looked in, not thrilled at the prospect of being that close to Polanski.

"Take Sherman here down to the circuitry room so he can check out the engine control panels. Keep an eye on him," Kargarov ordered.

"You want me to get someone to watch the engines?" Griggs inquired.

"No, that worthless sack of shit is still out so he won't be messing with them," he said motioning towards Polanski, "and Sherman here won't be gone too long, will you?"

"Depends what I find," Lee replied. "I would suggest you back off the engines a bit until I resolve the issue, but everything should be fine without constant monitoring."

"All right, get to it." Once Lee and Griggs left the room, Kargarov conducted another more in-depth inspection of the control panels and engine settings looking for any indications that Sherman had been intentionally causing the problems he had noticed. Seeing nothing out of order, he turned around and left, heading back to the control room to drop their speed as recommended by Sherman.

Once Kargarov had left the room, Polanski opened his eyes and pushed himself up on one elbow. He'd heard the entire conversation between Sherman and Kargarov and knew his time was up unless he took action to protect his ass. He rubbed his eyes and then lightly rubbed his grubby hand over the sutured wound trying to kill the itch. He winced in pain, then laid back down, closed his eyes and began plotting his response.

(olooo)


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

Arriving in the circuitry room, Lee gave Marty a nod of acknowledgement then moved to the engine and reactor panels to begin his repairs. Griggs walked over to the other guard and they began chatting, not particularly paying attention to what their charges were doing.

After a few minutes Landeau called out to Lee. "Hey Sherman, can you come over here and give me a hand for a moment?"

Lee looked from Landeau to Griggs and got a confirming nod. "Sure, be right there."

"I've not had much experience with these panels before. Take a look and see if this looks right," Marty said loud enough for the guards to hear.

Lee moved next to him and began scrutinizing the control panel before him. After a few minute's study he began shaking his head. "No, that's not right. See these circuits here, you need to reroute this over to this panel. Whoever wired this must have been smoking something and not sharing. Hand me the pliers and some of that wire, and I'll fix it for you."

Marty quickly passed him what he asked for and the guards momentarily looked up as Lee started to work, then quickly dismissed him and went back to their conversation. Lee rapidly set up the bypass and showed Marty what he needed to do at the appointed time. Landeau nodded his understanding.

"Thanks, Dave. That seems to have done the trick."

Lee smiled and returned to his panels. He pulled out and replaced a couple of circuit boards to make it look as though he was actually repairing something then closed the doors. "I'm done here," he announced. "Now I need to go back to engineering and see if that fixed the problem."

Griggs nodded then jerked his head in the direction of the door indicating Lee should lead the way out. Lee moved quickly out the door and made his way back to the engine room. Upon entering he walked over to the engine control panel and undid his previous hack returning engine operations back to normal.

(olooo)

It was nearly 1300 by the time Ned made it to engineering to check on his last patient. He nodded to Lee as he entered indicating everything was a go then walked directly over to Polanski. "He regain consciousness yet?"

"Nope," Lee replied. "He's been out the entire time I've been here. I checked him over briefly when I came in, he has a strong pulse and seems to be breathing okay. He really must have clocked himself hard to be out this long."

Ned completed his examination of Polanski, breathing through his mouth the entire time to avoid the smell. "His left pupil is still dilated a bit, but other than that all his vitals are fine. He should be conscious by now; I don't know what's keeping him down." Ned put his gear away and moved over to Lee. "How the hell do you stand the smell? I'm fighting a constant battle to keep from gagging and tossing my cookies all over the floor."

Lee laughed quietly. "Believe it or not I've smelled worse. Is there anything you need me to watch on him?"

"No. I don't have the equipment or drugs to do anything else. Just make sure he's breathing okay. Why do you care anyway?"

"I still don't know how he fits into this crew. I don't know if he's a conscript or a volunteer, and I won't write him off until I have a better idea what his status is," Lee explained. "Face it, he needs no guard because he would have a hard time moving through the boat, and he's equally reviled by everyone on board so there aren't many clues to his position either way. I also have a hard time believing he's really that inept as an engineer the more I get into these systems."

"Whatever," Ned responded. "Everything's good to go. During my rounds I checked on the late watch and they're down for the count. There were a couple that seemed to not be out as much as we'd like so I gave them a little something extra."

Lee smiled and patted him on the back. "Way to go."

"So what do you want me to do now?"

"Can you hang around the mess without drawing too much attention?" Lee asked.

"Yeah I think so, why?"

"You can help Peterson out once the next watch starts dropping. Assist anyone along that needs a little help going to sleep before they can raise the alarm." Lee quickly looked up at the clock on the wall. "We're a little more than hour till show time. I'll get on my way in another 30. Marty's all set up in the circuitry room so be ready for the shift at 1440."

"I'm sure I can come up with a reason to be in the galley; treating someone for burns or something. Good luck, Dave."

Lee smiled in response. "Good luck to us all. Now get going."

(olooo)

It had been nearly 20 minutes since Ned had left and Lee prepared to make good his escape from the engine room. He quickly checked over Polanski to make sure he was still breathing then grabbed the chair next to him, took it over to the air vent and placed it underneath. He climbed up on the chair and then began prying off the cover.

"What the hell are you doing?" Griggs called out having decided to check on Sherman. Lee heard Griggs pull back the slide on his automatic chambering a round. "All right, get down from there nice and slow or I'll plug you where you stand." Griggs ordered.

Lee swore mentally, not believing they had everything set to go only to have it all come crumbling down because Griggs got a wild hair up his ass to actually check on his charges for a change. He slowly lowered his hands and began backing down from the chair. As he did he heard what sounded like a hard slap, a grunt, and then a body hitting the deck.

Lee quickly spun around as soon as he hit the floor to find Polanski breathing heavily, standing over the downed guard with a large wrench in his hand. He looked at the engineer curiously for a moment. "Thanks," he finally said overcoming the shock.

"No problem. Help me tape him up then you can get on with what you're doing," Polanski wheezed. Lee galvanized into action and quickly secured the guard with copious wraps of duct tape. Once done Lee looked up at Polanski, the many questions crossing his mind were apparently quite evident on his face. "I've been awake since almost the beginning. I've heard everything you've said, what you have planned, and I want off this frickin' boat," Polanski replied to the unvoiced inquiry.

Lee nodded then stowed Griggs' gun in the back of his waistband, stood up, and moved back to the vent. "Make sure you're sitting down and braced at 1440. If you would, cut power once the boat goes back to trim." Polanski nodded and waddled over towards the vent shaft to collect his chair once Sherman was gone.

Lee hoisted himself inside the vent and began making his way silently through the shaft towards the control room. He needed to be positioned outside the con just before the roll so he could assist the men there in taking over the boat. Crawling past the mess he noticed a number of slumbering black shirts already taken out by Oscar's potent potion. He smiled and chuckled quietly to himself as he continued on towards the con; two down.

Reaching a section of passageway near the con with no sign of guards, Lee pushed open the grate and quietly lowered himself to the floor. Once on deck he inched silently forward and was able to reach the aft hatch unobserved. He stole a quick look inside and noticed that all eyes were focused forward giving him an opportunity to slip into the empty radio shack. He squeezed himself in behind the radio console so he was totally hidden from view.

Bracing himself for the impending roll he spotted a clock on the far wall. Just 2 more minutes and hopefully they would all be free. He scrunched down tighter behind the radio unit and started the countdown. '…, three, two, one.'

Right on cue the boat rolled hard right as ballast was suddenly shifted, pitching the unprepared black shirts into the bulkheads and onto the deck. Seconds later the boat shifted back and the crew sprang into action subduing the downed men and wresting control of the vessel from their captors.

Lee had pounced immediately taking out Jones as he floundered past him. He relished the surprised look on his face just as he delivered an unrestrained left hook. Jones did not get up.

Kargarov found himself on the receiving end of a number of fists and feet as the control room crew vented their anger and hatred on the man. After a moment Lee walked forward, Griggs' gun in his hand. He quietly cleared his throat which surprisingly brought the assault on Kargarov to a halt. Two men hauled him to his feet, arms twisted viciously behind his back to face the mastermind of the mutiny.

"What the hell's going on Sherman?!" blustered Kargarov not willing to accept the obvious. He was quite the sight, his nose was obviously broken and bleeding badly, his left eye was rapidly swelling shut, his bottom lip split and the rest of his face bore a number of contusions courtesy of his _crew_.

"Seeing how you are so fond of ancient maritime traditions, we figured we'd let you experience a good old fashioned mutiny," Lee smiled menacingly. The crew in the control room gave him a spontaneous, "Arrrrgh," which set them all to laughing in relief.

Kargarov paled as he scanned the control room and found all of his men down and incapacitated. There were no sounds of weapon fire meaning there was no one coming to rescue him.

"You two, and you two over there," Lee said indicating men restraining Kargarov and two near the aft hatch, "get him down to the brig along with Jones. Strip them down to their skivvies and secure them to their bunks," Lee ordered. "Then get the rest of the guards and make sure they don't move either."

The two men holding Kargarov smiled evilly. "Aye, aye Captain," then pushed their bloodied prisoner out of the con while the other two men none to gently peeled Jones off the deck and dragged him down the passageway.

"All right everyone back to your stations. What's our depth and depth to bottom helm?" Lee inquired.

The helmsman rattled off the current depth and depth to bottom. Lee moved quickly over to the chart table and updated the position. He smiled slightly as depth to bottom was above crush depth for the sub.

"Very well, take us up to 90 feet so we can figure out where we are and where we want to be," Lee replied.

"Aye sir," responded the men in the room as they returned to their stations and the _Scourge_ began rising slowly towards the surface. "Sonar any surface or subsurface contacts in the area?"

"Negative Captain," Carrington replied with a huge smile.

As they began to move up Landeau returned to the control room with Whitcome. "All the hostiles are accounted for and secured," he reported with a smile. That was immediately met with a rousing cheer from the group in the con.

"Were any of our people injured?" asked Lee.

"No, everyone managed to get braced before the roll and was able to overpower the guards with relative ease. It all went down like clockwork," Ned replied. "Of course the guards were not quite as lucky both with the roll and our response. There were a couple of fatalities but they were in my mind justified."

"Understood," Lee responded, not thrilled with the deaths but given what they had all been through he could understand why. "Marty can you get the intercom operating?"

"Sure thing Dave. It's been repaired since yesterday, I just didn't let Kargarov know." He walked over to a panel in the radio shack, flipped a switch and then nodded to Lee.

"Attention all hands, this is Dave Sherman. I want you all to know that the boat is now in our control. Thank you for your assistance and support in carrying out our little mutiny here." A round of cheers and whoops could be heard throughout the boat. "That being said, we now need to get this boat back in order and get her to a neutral port where we can turn her and her crew over to the authorities. Everyone assume your stations and be ready to answer all bells shortly. Sherman, out."

(olooo)


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Once at periscope depth Lee quickly raised the periscope and took a cautious look at the view above. Satisfied that they were not in immediate danger he ordered the sub to surface. It was beautiful topside with clear skies and calm seas. Lee grabbed the sextant and headed up the conning tower ladder to shoot the sun. As he unlatched the hatch and pushed it open he drew in a huge breath of fresh air and released a deep sigh of relief as the cool air washed in from above.

He stepped up into the conning tower and continued his survey of the area around the boat. Feeling secure that they were safe for the time being he called down below. "Mr. Landeau put out the word that anyone that wants a few minutes on deck is welcome to come above. We won't be here long so get them moving."

"Aye Captain," Landeau replied. He quickly put the call out over the intercom and there was soon a steady stream of men coming up through the hatches to take their first breaths of freedom, in some cases in nearly a year. Landeau was the last man out and joined Lee in the tower.

Lee smiled and clapped him on the back. "We did it! Now we just need to pull the second rabbit out of the hat and get to port before someone blasts us to hell."

"I hear you Skipper," Landeau replied with a laugh. "Kargarov made sure that wouldn't be an easy task."

"Marty would act as my second in command while we get this boat to port?" Lee asked quietly. "From what I've seen you have the most military experience here, know the boat, and seem to get along well with the rest of the men."

Landeau looked both shocked and pleased. "I would be honored to do so. So what are your orders, sir?"

"I'm going to shoot the sun now so I can compare our position with the navigation system and see how close they come to agreeing. Please write down what I tell you."

"Go ahead whenever you're ready," Landeau replied as he pulled a piece of paper and a stubby pencil out of his pocket. Lee raised the sextant then fixed his sights and their position. Marty quickly wrote down what he called out.

"Okay, give the men another 30 minutes up here then get them back inside and we'll button up and head for port." Lee took the paper with the coordinates from Marty and descended into the sub to begin plotting their course to freedom.

When the last man was down below and the hatches secured, Lee ordered the boat down to 200 feet and to hold position. "Marty, would you accompany me to the captain's quarters, I need to discuss a couple of things with you before we put this boat in motion."

"Sure thing Dave, lead the way." Marty replied.

Reaching Kargarov's old cabin, they stepped in and Lee shut the door. "Have a seat Marty. I would like your input on who we should put in charge of areas of the boat. I think you've had more exposure to the crew than I have being sequestered in the engine room most of the time."

"I'd be happy to give you my two cents," Landeau answered. They spent the next 30 minutes discussing the requirements for the key department heads and those men they thought would be best in that position.

Finished with their discussion, Lee picked up the mic and keyed the intercom to life. "Would the following men please report to the mess? Ned Whitcome, Oscar Peterson, Gavin Andrews, Parker McClaine and Tom Donley. Sherman out. Come on Marty, let's go meet with the officers of the boat," Lee said with a smile.

(olooo)

By the time they arrived, the other men were already there and seated at the tables sipping on a cup coffee. Lee nodded and made his way over to the coffee urn and grabbed a cup for himself and Marty. Just as he began to take a sip he suddenly stopped. "This isn't the _special_ coffee is it Oscar?"

Peterson broke out laughing and shook his head no. "No Skipper, that went down the head the second we had control."

Lee winked and took a big sip. "Okay, I'm sure you're wondering why I've asked you here. Gentlemen I would like you to take over responsibility for certain areas of the boat. Oscar I want you in engineering, Ned sick bay, Gavin torpedo room, Tom circuitry room and Parker the galley. Marty here will be my XO. Do any of you wish to opt out?"

The assembled men all smiled and indicated they all felt capable of handling the duties assigned them. Oscar seemed somewhat apprehensive but was willing to give it a try. "Our first order of business is to determine where to make port. I personally am not thrilled pulling into port anywhere on the eastern coast of Africa given the instability in much of the region, India is out thanks to Kargarov, which I think leaves us with Diego Garcia." The newly appointed department heads looked surprised and confounded by Lee's selected port.

Reading the questions on their faces, he continued. "I've got a few of reasons for selecting the port furthest from our location. One, given the fact the Indian frigate didn't go down, they were able to alert their military and draw assistance from any other allied vessels in the region. I don't doubt for a moment that there aren't vessels out there looking for us as I speak. Two, DG is also in the opposite direction of any PR allies in the region, which is where I would expect opposing forces to concentrate their search for us since we're riding about in an old PR sub. Finally, DG is a US territory and Navy base, and we can count on them the hold Kargarov and his crew accountable for what they've done, and to turn them over to the proper authorities for the justice they deserve."

The assembled men nodded their heads in agreement with Lee's reasoning. "Does anyone have in questions?"

"I do," responded Gavin Andrews. "Why are we standing up a torpedo crew if we're heading for our freedom?"

"Good question, Gavin," Lee replied. "As I said, I firmly believe that we are now being hunted by any number of allied naval forces. While I won't ever use our torpedoes to take out another vessel, they can be used to back them off and to eliminate torpedoes fired at us. We may also need to deploy countermeasures and decoys should we be unfortunate enough to be discovered before we get close enough to make port. With no way to contact anyone to surrender, and Kargarov's stunt firing on the Indian frigate while flying a white flag, my guess is they will be shooting first and then asking questions if we survive." The group paled somewhat at Lee's reasoning and had to agree.

"Also I want you all to know that I've had significant time in the control room of submarines and with your assistance and that of the rest of the crew, I think we have an excellent chance of making it to DG alive. Any more questions?" Lee allowed a minute or two to pass and with no questions voiced he set his team in motion. "Very well report to your stations and get your crews set up and ready to get us home."

As the men filed out of the room, Lee noticed that Peterson looked especially concerned. "Something wrong, Oscar?"

"You really sure you want me in charge in the engine room? I haven't had a whole lot of experience with those engines, most of it coming from helping you out. What if I screw something up? Also, what about Polanski, won't he be pissed?" Oscar asked.

"You don't give yourself enough credit Oscar. You grasped what I was showing you very quickly, I have plenty of confidence in you to keep things running. As far as Polanski, his nose will probably be out of joint for a bit, but he came through for us when it counted by taking out Griggs. I'm not totally sure how he came to be on the boat, but he took a stand with the good guys. Maybe you can find out his story. If you're up to it then, head on down. Once we get things moving, I'll come down and clarify anything if needed, okay?"

"Thanks Dave, I appreciate that. See you in a bit."

(olooo)


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

"Mr. Morton, I've downloaded all the information from COMSUBLANT," LT Bobby O'Brien said as he approached the acting captain.

"Thanks Bobby. Inform the admiral and provide him a copy, then have the department heads and Chief Sharkey meet me in the nose in one hour," Chip responded as he headed towards the staircase in the nose. "You have the con, Mr. O'Brien. I'll be in my quarters going over this information if you need me."

"Aye sir, I have the con." O'Brien acknowledged.

Chip walked quickly to his cabin, fired up his computer, accessed the new files and began looking over what COMSUBLANT had sent regarding their quarry. According to the Indian Navy it was an old PR barracuda class boat causing all the trouble. It was now suspected of being the boat behind the vessels sunk in the region over the last 10 months. No one knew if it was just one boat or if there were others stalking the waters as well.

Scanning over the reports on the vessel attacks, COMSUBLANT's admonishment to shoot first and ask questions later seemed a very prudent course of action. The attacks were merciless and in most cases resulted in a total loss of all souls on board. To punctuate the wanton disregard for any human life, the drowning of several of their own crew members indicated they would exercise no restraint when encountered.

He immediately opened access to the files to the entire boat so each section would be able to prepare for engagement with their adversary. Luckily for them the Indian frigate had been able to record the rebel sub's sound signature which was included in the files, making sonar's job that much easier to identify and home in on their target. Having completed his prep for the meeting, Chip sat back and sucked in a deep breath then blew it out. "Sure wish you were here, Lee," he said quietly to himself.

He looked up and spied the clock which indicated it was time to head down to the nose and prepare his crew for possible battle. Chip arose from his chair, walked over to the mirror and regarded the man reflected back at him. He straightened his tie, brushed the wrinkles from his uniform, shelved his trepidation, then donned his command face, and headed out the door to brief his staff.

As he exited his quarters he very nearly ran over the admiral as he was heading down the corridor. "Excuse me sir," Chip said.

"Not a problem Chip," Nelson replied. "So have you reviewed all the data from COMSUBLANT?"

"Yes sir. Looks like this bastard really plays for keeps and will sacrifice anyone to get what he wants."

"That's pretty much my assessment as well. Makes it very important we spot him first and get the first shot off."

Chip nodded in agreement. "Well Kowalski and Patterson are the best sonar men in the business so we definitely have that in our pocket. And there's absolutely no doubt who has the better boat."

Nelson smiled and clapped Chip on the shoulder. "Don't forget the exceptional captain at her con."

Chip graced him with a halfhearted smile. "All things considered sir, I wish Lee were here to take care of his own captaining."

"Me too, lad. Me too. Come let's head on down and get everyone up to speed," Nelson replied as he continued on towards the staircase to the control room.

(olooo)

As Nelson and Morton descended the stairs, the assembled men rose to greet them. "Please be seated," Nelson said as he moved to his chair. They all quickly claimed their seats and O'Brien activated the switch closing the crash doors giving them the privacy they required. "If you would Mr. Morton."

"Gentlemen, we have been tasked by the CNO and COMSUBLANT to track down and either capture or destroy a rouge submarine that has been sinking vessel traffic here in the Indian Ocean. They have been credited with sinking at least 15 commercial vessels and severely disabling an Indian Navy frigate that responded to an emergency call from one of the targeted vessels. You should be aware that the Indian frigate was damaged when the sub suddenly fired on the boat while flying a flag of surrender. The captain of the sub had a number of his crew on the deck at the time, then submerged the boat with them still on deck resulting in the deaths of those men. COMSUBLANT has cautioned us to shoot first and ask questions later, which based on the information I've just provided you is sound advice," Chip began.

"COMSUBLANT has forwarded all the information they have on the rouge boat and I've made it available to you on the boat's computer drive. This is an old People's Republic barracuda class submarine. While intelligence doesn't believe the PR is operating the boat, they are probably supplying parts, and safe port. Review the data and get your personnel primed and ready to respond immediately. Sharkey, the Indian frigate was able to record the sub's sound signature, make sure Kowalski and Patterson can sing it in their sleep." Chip ordered.

"Aye sir," Sharkey replied.

"The Indian Navy is currently flying ASW* aircraft trying to locate the sub since the attack on their frigate. Thus far they haven't come up with anything, but when they do we'll be the first to know so we need to be ready to react on a moment's notice to locate and neutralize that boat," Chip continued. He paused for a moment regarding the expressions of the men seated before him, seeing only confidence and a readiness to act he smiled inwardly to himself. He and Lee were always proud of their crew's ability to respond to anything.

"Admiral, do you have anything you'd like to add?" Chip asked.

"Gentlemen, the men on that boat quite obviously have no regard for their crew or anyone else they encounter. It is now our mission to ensure we bring their acts of piracy and terror to an end. We need to ensure that we maintain the utmost vigilance, I don't want this bastard slipping through our fingers once we have him in our sights," Nelson added, then looked to Chip indicating he'd had his say.

"Questions?... All right, let's move like we have a purpose. As I said, familiarize yourselves with the information COMSUBLANT sent, have your men review it as well, and be ready to answer all bells at a moment's notice. That's all, dismissed," Chip concluded. The assembled department heads rose from their seats and immediately dispersed to their stations to make all preparations for their impending hunt.

(olooo)

*ASW - Anti Submarine Warfare


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

It had been nearly 24 hours since Lee had dismissed his new department heads to get their sections in order, complete repairs, and give everyone the opportunity to catch up on some rest. Although they had operated the sub for the most part, there were still some areas where Kargarov's men had the lead and they needed to make sure everything was covered before they made their way to Diego Garcia. For his part he visited each area conducting his usual walk-a-boat to get introduced to the other conscripts, get a feel for their capabilities, and to let them ask any questions they may have.

On the whole he was pleased with what he found. The crew was motivated beyond belief to get things back in order so they could head for port. His one concern was the engine room and how Polanski would play in all this. He seemed to be playing along but it was quite obvious he wasn't happy with Peterson being put in charge of the department. As much as he hated to do it, he needed more hands in there to help with operations and added men to help Peterson out. He'd ordered Polanski to bathe but there didn't seem to be much difference. He figured he just waved the bar of soap in front of his face and called it good.

Once everyone was set, Lee ran through a number of drills to make sure everyone was comfortable with their assignments, and knew what to do in given situations. He even went through a number of battle scenarios so they would be familiar with the commands, silent running procedures, and loading and firing weapons and countermeasures. He had no intention of taking another vessel out, but he wouldn't let them just be blown out of the water while he had the means to back them off.

Confident that they could now hold their own, Lee grabbed the mic and clicked it alive. "This is the captain. You've all done incredibly well and I believe we're ready to start making our way to freedom. If you run into any problems or something you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask your department head or me for assistance. Our very lives may depend on it. Everyone to your stations, let's start heading for port. Sherman, out."

Lee was gratified to hear a rousing cheer from those in the control room as they assumed their stations and expectantly awaited his commands. "Helm come to course 1-2-0, ahead one third," Lee ordered. The commands were quickly confirmed and he felt the _Scourge_ roll gently to port as the helmsmen commenced their turn. If their luck held, they should make it to Diego Garcia in a little under four days unless someone found them first.

(olooo)

The first day as a free boat passed without incident as everyone settled into their new roles. On the morning of the second day Lee was summoned to the control room by his XO. "Captain Sherman, this is the con."

"Sherman here. What is it Marty?" Lee inquired as he rolled out of bed.

"We've got something on the sonar and think you better take a look," Landeau reported as he continued to watch the display on the sonar screen.

Lee quickly pulled on his clothes and hurried up to the control room. He acknowledged his XO with a nod and walked directly to the sonar station. "Whatcha got, Marty?"

"It sounds like airplane traffic. The contact has returned twice since we first noticed it about 15 minutes ago," Landeau explained.

Lee regarded the screen for a moment then picked up the spare headphones on the side of the unit. He listened intently to the sounds coming in over the system. "Yep, that's an airplane alright. Multi-engine turbo prop, I'd say a P-3 Orion, probably out of Diego Garcia, sent to scout around for us." He continued to listen and swore softly. "Damn, that's the last thing we needed."

He walked quickly over to the chart table and scanned the chart laid out on the table looking at the contours of the bottom below them. "What's the water depth here?"

"Depth is 850 feet," the diving officer replied.

"Helm, bottom the boat, fast!" Lee ordered.

The _Scourge_ immediately pointed nose down as she plowed through the water making her way to the bottom, the boat groaned with the increased pressure the deeper they went. Those standing up quickly grabbed hand holds to steady themselves as the boat powered towards the bottom. As they neared the ocean floor their rate of descent decreased as Lee ordered adjustments allowing them to touch down almost noiselessly in the sand and muck beneath them.

"Silent running," Lee ordered and was gratified to hear the boat grow still. He returned to the sonar station, picked up the headset and listened intently along with sonar man. They tracked the aircraft making a couple more passes over the general area then move off.

Lee blew out a huge sigh of relief. "We made it down just in time." He smiled and patted Carrington on the shoulder. "Great job picking that up Al, you've hopefully saved us a mess of trouble."

Carrington smiled, "Any time, Skipper." He then picked up his headphones and resumed listening for any telltale signs of traffic in the area.

Lee nodded and looked around the con conducting a quick scan of operations. "Okay, let's stay here another 20 minutes then we can resume normal operations and start making our way toward Diego again. You have the con Marty, I'm going to get cleaned up, have a bit of breakfast, and then I'll be back. When you bring us back online, take us up to two thirds speed."

"Aye Skipper," Marty replied. "Take your time."

(olooo)

"Mr. Morton, we've just received ELF flash traffic from COMSUBLANT." Sparks called out as he walked towards the chart table with a print out.

"Thanks Sparks," Chip replied as he accepted the sheet of paper. He quickly read the information then passed it to O'Brien. "Looks like they've spotted our quarry. Bobby plot an intercept course and take us up to flank."

"Aye sir," O'Brien replied as he began working out the course.

Chip picked up the mic. "Admiral this is Morton."

"Nelson here, what is it Chip?"

"Sir, COMSUBLANT passed on a report from a P-3 overflight indicating they have most likely found our renegade sub. They're headed in a southeasterly direction and are approximately 2100 miles from our current position. We've plotted an intercept course and have increased our speed to flank," Chip reported.

"Thanks for the update Chip. Let me know when you pick up her trail."

"Will do sir, Morton out. All right Bobby what have you got?"

"At current course and speed we should be in their general vicinity within 36 hours, assuming they stick to the reported direction of travel," O'Brien replied.

Chip nodded acknowledging the information. "Kowalski, you and Patterson know what you're looking for?"

"Yes sir. We've both gone over the logs from the Indian frigate and can pick that sound signature out at a rock concert in a football arena," Ski answered with a quick smile.

Chip smiled in return. "Stick to passive sonar for now, we don't want to give her any more advance warning we're coming after her, than we have to."

"Aye sir."

"Now comes the fun part where we listen and wait," Chip responded. "Bobby make sure all the department heads are aware we're on the hunt now."

"Yes sir," O'Brien replied and then moved off to bring the rest of the crew up to date.

(olooo)

A half hour later Lee returned to the bridge feeling slightly more presentable. He conducted a quick circuit of the control room taking in current operations and boat status. Satisfied that everything was as it should be he moved forward to the chart table.

"We're back on course, travelling at two thirds," Marty reported as Lee neared the table.

"Thanks Marty." He looked down at the chart checking on their current position. He began scrutinizing the bathymetric readings and ocean floor contours ahead of them trying to familiarize himself as much as possible to improve his reaction time when trouble arrived. He wasn't naïve enough to think they had totally escaped detection and was certain their position had been reported and military vessels were now mobilizing to greet them.

"Problem Skipper?" Marty asked as he watched Lee pour over the charts.

"Not yet but I'm sure it's coming. I just want to make sure I'm as ready as I can be if we're suddenly confronted by someone wanting to terminate our journey sooner than we planned. The number of passes that plane made tells me they caught enough of our signal to alert other vessels that may be in the area," Lee explained. "Sonar, keep a close watch and keep our sweeps to passive. If anyone picks up on so much as a fish fart I want to know about it."

"Yes sir," Carrington replied with a quick grin.

Lee reached over picked up the mic. "This is the captain. As you are probably aware we were overflown by a recon aircraft, and it's highly likely that they were able to detect us and have reported that to whichever military controls the aircraft. As of now I want everyone to step up your vigilance and to make sure your stations are up and running to the greatest extent possible. I need you all to be ready to go to battle stations and comply with any request to run silent. Just keep up the great work you've done so far. Mr. Whitcome, meet me in my cabin in 20 minutes. Sherman out."

"Whitcome here, I'll be there in 20," came the reply.

Landeau looked over at Lee, concern etched across his face as he walked over to him. "You okay Dave?" he said quietly.

Lee smiled and nodded. "Yes I'm fine. I just want Whitcome to make sure our guests don't provide any distractions should things heat up. Based on what he said, they should be coming out from under the sedation about now."

Landeau smiled wider. "I see your point."

Lee did one more pass through the con then turned command over to Landeau and headed for his cabin. As he arrived Ned was right behind him. Lee entered the cabin and waved him in.

"What can I do for you Dave?" Whitcome inquired, somewhat concerned that Lee might be ill.

"Ned I need you to make sure that our prisoners remain quiet for the remainder of the trip. I don't trust them not to give us away at the first opportunity. They really have nothing to lose since odds are they're facing a lifetime in prison or a death sentence once they're turned over to authorities." Lee explained.

"Sounds like a wise move," Ned replied as he nodded in agreement. "I've still got some of the stuff we used to put them down the first time."

"Great. See about getting three or four of the bigger guys on board to help you make your rounds. Also make damn sure you have someone there keeping a gun trained on them at all times. I'm not one for unnecessary bloodshed, but I'm not taking a chance with the crew's lives." Lee responded.

"Understood. I'll get on it right away. What about Kargarov and Jones, you want me to put them down too?"

"Oh yeah, big time. I'm tempted to just fire those animals out of the torpedo tubes and be done with it, but they need to be held accountable for all that they've done."

"I'm on it Skipper," Ned said as he moved towards the door. "I'll let you know when I'm done."

"Thanks Ned. Remember, don't take any chances. They have nothing to lose and will be desperate to either regain control of the boat or destroy it to keep from falling into the hands of the authorities," Lee cautioned the medic.

(olooo)

"Mr. Morton, sonar contact 300 miles, 050 relative. I think we've got her sir," Kowalski called out from his station.

Chip walked quickly to the sonar station and picked up the spare set of headphones and listened intently to the sounds relayed back to _Seaview_. He nodded slightly indicating his agreement with Ski's assessment. "Sounds like what the Indian frigate and the P-3 picked up. What else is out there?"

"There are a couple of super tankers and a dozen or so container vessels by the sound of it. Nothing else remotely sounding like a sub though."

Chip smiled and clapped Kowalski on the back. "Well done. Keep track of her and let me know when we're within 100 miles of her position." Ski nodded and refocused his attention back on his screen and headphones.

Chip walked back to the chart table and picked up the mic. "Admiral, this is Morton."

"Nelson here. What is it Chip?"

"Sir, Kowalski has picked up the enemy sub. She's less than 300 miles dead ahead and we're on her trail."

"Excellent Chip," Nelson replied. "Inform COMSUBLANT and let them know we've got them on our scope. Ask for any support you think you'll need."

"Aye sir," Chip replied. "I think for now we're fine since Kowalski has a firm fix on them. It looks as though they've increased speed so we should be within striking range in 18 hours."

"Very well Captain. Keep me informed."

Chip smiled briefly at the use of the title. "Aye sir. Morton out." As he shipped the mic, his smile faded as worry over the location and condition of Seaview's permanent captain and his best friend loomed large in his mind. Shaking off the worry, Chip returned his attention to the issue at hand and once more initiated another sweep of the control room to ascertain their status.

(olooo)


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

Whitcome grabbed one of the cook's assistants to act as his muscle as he went to each cabin where the black shirts had been incarcerated. Finding most of them still groggy and none too coordinated he had little trouble either getting them to drink the water he offered or administering the injection to those still unconscious.

Arriving at the brig he found Kargarov and Jones cuffed to their bunks sitting there in their skivvies glaring at them. Ned and Travis couldn't contain their laughter as they regarded their former captain and XO now stripped down and humiliated.

"About god damn time you came down here," Kargarov spat. "I need to use the head."

"What's stopping you?" Travis retorted as he motioned to the urinal across the cell. Kargarov and Jones both scowled at the man, furious at being treated like they had treated their crew.

"All right," Ned replied. "I'll uncuff you so you can go. Travis keep the gun on him." Travis nodded and moved in behind Whitcome as he entered and pulled the cuff keys out to unlock Kargarov.

His wrist now undone, Kargarov moved to the urinal and relieved himself. Once finished he turned around then suddenly shoved Whitcome at the bunks where his head met squarely with the upper cross member knocking him out. Travis reacted immediately coming to his partner's aid at which point Jones kicked him in the face. As he reeled backwards, Kargarov pushed him through the door and across the passageway into the bulkhead.

As his head made contact with the bulkhead, Travis was stunned, and dropped the gun as he slid down the wall to the floor. Kargarov was on it in a second, he snatched it up and placed a bullet into the hapless man on the floor. Now outside the cell, he turned and looked back inside at the unconscious medic and his former XO deciding if he should expend another round.

Jones held out the cuffed hand attached to the bunk, indicating that Kargarov should release him. Kargarov instead turned and bolted down the passageway towards the control room to the sound of Jones' curses for being left still confined to the brig.

(olooo)

"Mr. Morton, we're within 100 miles of the enemy sub," Patterson called out.

Chip walked to the sonar station and quickly perused the readouts which highlighted the position of their quarry. "Thanks Pat." He returned to the chart table and reviewed the bathymetry, bottom contours and other items of interest in planning his attack.

He picked up the mic and clicked it twice. "Battle stations, battle stations. Missile room load tubes one through four, flood all tubes and open outer doors."

After the briefest of moments the response came through. "Con, missile room aye. Tubes one, two, three, and four loaded, all tubes flooded, outer doors open."

Seaview became a flurry of activity as her crew rapidly readied themselves for taking on the rogue submarine. As each department signaled in that they were ready, Chip spotted Nelson descending the staircase into the nose. Nelson nodded to him acknowledging his agreement with their preparations.

Once all departments had reported in Chip clicked the mic one more time. "Attention all hands, rig for silent running. Repeat rig for silent running." Nelson raised an eyebrow of inquiry and Morton gave him a quick smile and joined him in the nose. "I don't want to give them the slightest hint we're here until it's too late. We should be in firing range within 30 minutes, assuming they don't catch wind of us and try to bolt."

(olooo)

"Marty, I've got something on the scope," Carrington called out from his sonar station.

"What you got, Al?" Landeau inquired as he walked toward the sonar station.

"Looks like there's another sub down here with us about 40 miles southeast of our position and they're heading our way, fast."

"Good job, keep an eye on it. I'll let Sherman know." Landeau turned to return to the chart table to grab the mic when they were all startled by the sudden arrival of Kargarov in the control room.

"Where the hell's Sherman?!" he screamed waving his gun around the room. No one moved or responded to his question. He snarled at the men and walked deliberately over to Landeau and leveled the gun at his head. "I will ask you this just one more time, where the hell is Sherman?"

Marty stared at the man emotionlessly. Only after Kargarov pulled back the hammer on the gun did he respond. "He's down in _his_ cabin."

Kargarov glared at the man. "Call him to the control room now," he demanded coldly. Marty remained motionless. "I will only say this one more time, call him to the control room or the rest of the men in here will be scraping your brains off of the chart table. Do you get me?"

Marty nodded slightly and reached for the mic.

(olooo)

Having decided to conduct one of his walk-a-boats, Lee had left the con in Marty's hands and headed aft to touch base with the men and check on the status of the boat. As he was coming back towards the control room he heard the report of a single gunshot. He charged down the passageway towards the sound. Reaching the corner in the passageway he peeked cautiously around it and spotted Travis sprawled out on the deck.

Cautiously he edged his way down the corridor towards the brig, his sidearm drawn and ready for use. As he reached the open door he looked quickly inside spotting Whitcome lying unconscious on the deck and Jones standing next to him still tethered to the upper bunk trying to reach the keys laying next to Whitcome. Lee kneeled down next to Travis and checked for a pulse even though it was quite obvious that Kargarov's bullet had erased that possibility.

Standing up Lee moved back to the brig door. "Step away from him, now," Lee said in a low and deadly tone of voice. Jones narrowed his eyes and looked as though he was about to kick the downed man in response. "Move any direction but up and I'll make sure the only thing you ever move again are your eyes. Understand?"

Jones eyes went wide at Lee's response. He nodded quickly then hauled himself back up onto his bunk. Lee stepped inside, quickly grabbed Whitcome's wrist and gently pulled him out into the passageway. He knelt down and placed his hand on this throat and was relieved to get a steady pulse and a low moan as Whitcome began fighting his way back to consciousness.

"Wha…what happened?" Ned asked then moaned again in pain as he moved his head.

"You okay?" Lee inquired. Ned took stock of his condition then gently nodded his head. "Looks like Kargarov got the jump on you."

"Where's Travis? Is he okay?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Lee responded quietly. "Kargarov killed him. Do you have any idea where he went?"

"Oh god, no. I'm so sorry Dave. You told me to be careful and I screwed up." Ned answered. He carefully sat up with Lee's assistance and regarded Travis' body lying next to him. His complexion already pale, he blanched further as he looked at his dead friend.

"Ned, focus on me," Lee said, shaking him gently. "We need to get Jones down and then we'll go after Kargarov. Do you have the sedative with you?" Ned nodded numbly and reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the vial and the hypodermic.

"Good, now draw off the dose you need and we'll go back into the cell and take care of Jones. Can you do that for me?"

Ned nodded slowly once again. He uncapped the syringe and drew off a hefty dose then carefully pushed up to his feet. "I'm ready."

Lee gave him a slight smile and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Okay you follow me in. I will have the gun trained on Jones' head and you inject him. Got it?"

"Yeah, Dave, let's do it."

They entered the cell and Lee quickly explained how things were going to be done. Jones glared at them up until Lee pulled back the hammer on the gun and placed the barrel firmly between Jones' eyes. Jones quickly rolled up his sleeve and allowed Ned to inject him with the sedative. "Good boy," Lee said to Jones condescendingly once Ned had stepped away. "Sleep tight Princess."

They exited the brig and Lee slammed the door shut and locked it. He could easily read the guilt and regret on Ned's face as he stared down at Travis. "Ned, I know this will be hard to do but you need to put your feelings away for the moment until we get Kargarov taken care of, and we get this boat to safety. I've been in similar situations so I have a very good idea how you must be feeling. Once this is all done with, we can sit down and talk, okay?" Ned nodded absently as he tried to do as Dave had asked. "Okay, now let's go find Kargarov."

"Captain Sherman, this is the con."

Lee looked at Ned and sighed. "Well I think we know where he is." Lee grabbed the mic. "Sherman here, what is it Marty?"

"Sir would you please come to the control room?" Landeau said evenly.

"What have you got, sonar contact?" Lee replied.

"Uh yes sir. Something the _captain_ should see."

"On my way, Sherman out," Lee acknowledged. "Come on Ned time to take out the trash."

(olooo)


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

Lee and Whitcome walked calmly down the passageway to the control room. Ned entered first and was followed a moment later by Lee. He immediately spotted Kargarov with his gun leveled at Landeau's head. "Let him go, Kargarov, and I won't kill you," Lee said evenly.

Kargarov snorted derisively. "I don't think you're in any position to be making demands if you value this man at all. Personally I don't give a shit whether I live or not, my life is over one way or the other. I just wanted the opportunity to take you out."

With that he pushed Landeau forward towards Lee, and in the confusion two gunshots rang out in the tight confines of the control room. Wide eyes all around the room regarded the two men standing in the center, a cloud of white smoke enveloped them momentarily obscuring them from sight. As the smoke cleared there was a brief instant when they garnered a quick view of Kargarov, a stunned look on his face and a small hole in the center of his forehead, just before he fell face first to the deck . A huge sigh of relief washed over the control room crew as they realized their nemesis was now dead.

"Captain, I have a sonar contact dead ahead. Sounds like a sub and…Shit! Two high pitched screws in the water advancing on us fast." Carrington said, rapidly recovering from the recent drama that had consumed their attention.

Lee moved quickly to the sonar station and picked up the headset. Listening intently his eyes suddenly grew wide. "Damn! Range to target?"

"Torpedoes three thousand yards and closing. The sub is four thousand and closing," Carrington responded.

"Helm all ahead, emergency flank." Lee ordered.

"Ahead emergency flank?!" came the question from the helmsman.

"Just do it!" Lee snapped, not used to having his orders questioned. He quickly snatched up the mic. "Engine room, I need everything you can give me. Push those engines and reactor until they're ready to blow."

"How do I do that?" Peterson asked frantically. After a brief moment another voice came over the mic.

"You've got it. We're at 110% on the reactor, you have maybe 10 minutes at most before this all blows up in our face," Polanski reported.

"Thanks Polanski!" Lee replied then double clicked the mic to clear the channel. "Torpedo room, load torpedo tubes one and two. Flood all tubes and open outer doors. Be ready to fire on my mark."

"Torpedo room here. Loading tubes now. Tubes loaded and flooded, outer doors open."

"Make damn sure the autodestruct is enabled on those fish," Lee admonished.

"They're ready to go Dave, just like you said," Gavin replied.

"Distance to target on those fish, Al?" Lee inquired.

"1000 yards and closing," the sonar man reported.

"You're heading right into those torpedoes, you know that," Marty said quietly. Lee nodded he understood the implications of his actions.

"Trust me, I know that sub and what she has in the way of armaments." Lee replied calmly and patted Landeau on the shoulder. "Helm be ready to move quickly on my word. We screw this up and we're dead."

"Yes sir," the helmsman answered shakily.

"Contact in 5 seconds," Carrington reported as he pulled the headphones off his ears. "Four, three, two, one."

There was a singular moment when the world went silent as the entire crew held their collective breaths as they waited for the torpedoes' impact. And then they heard the weapons hit the boat and skitter along the hull breaking up as they went. All eyes went wide in amazement.

"Torpedo room, match bearings and fire tubes one and two." Lee ordered. A slight shiver in the boat announced the departure of their fish.

"Torpedoes away." Andrews reported.

"Excellent! Okay helm on my mark be prepared to implement an emergency crash dive. Once we hit 900 feet I'm going to be calling out directions to you so comply as quickly as you can. Understood?"

"Yes Captain."

"Sonar what's that boat doing out there?" Lee asked.

"Looks like she's heading up to the surface as fast as she can," Carrington replied.

Lee grabbed the mic. "Dive, dive, all dive. Flood all tanks, maximum down angle on all planes. Rig for silent running," Lee ordered. "Al when the torpedoes are within 300 yards of that sub, let Gavin know to activate the self-destruct."

"Will do Dave."

The _Scourge's_ nose suddenly angled down as she powered her way towards the bottom. As she neared the 900 foot mark Lee ordered the engines throttled back slightly, leveled out the boat and rattled off a series of commands that maneuvered the boat through the narrow twisting canyons beneath them as though he was racing his Cobra over a switchback mountain road. On a couple of occasions they heard the hull grind loudly against the rock face on one side or the other, causing them all to cringe. Lee regarded the horrified look on his helmsman's face and just smiled. "I've always wanted to scape a little paint," he said with a wink and patted him on the shoulder.

Finally reaching his desired location he ordered engines to dead stop and lowered the boat gently to the sea floor, a good 200 feet below her rated crush depth. Moments later they heard a muffled explosion indicating Andrews had sent the signal destroying the torpedoes before they could damage the other sub.

(olooo)

"Torpedoes away," Masters replied after receiving Morton's order to fire.

Chip and Nelson moved over to the sonar station to track their weapons' progress and to monitor the other boat. As they watched the torpedoes' progress they were suddenly surprised when it appeared as though the enemy sub had taken no evasive actions whatsoever to avoid the on-coming fish but instead accelerated towards them.

"Do you think they know what's coming for them?" Chip asked Nelson quietly.

"I have no idea," Harri responded. "Have they launched countermeasures Pat?"

"No sir, they've just increased their speed and by the sound of those engines they're pushing them to the limit." Pat replied.

They all watched curiously up until the point the torpedoes impacted the other sub's hull and nothing happened. "I'll be damned," Nelson said with a bit of awe.

"What sir?" Patterson inquired.

"Whoever is on that boat, knows US Navy armaments and knew enough to shorten the distance between the torpedoes and their boat before our fish could complete their arming sequence."

"Mr. Morton, high pitched screws in the water. Sir, we have two torpedoes coming at us, 1500 yards and closing. They have acquired," Patterson reported.

Chip grabbed the mic. "Torpedo room launch countermeasures. Helm emergency rise. Blow all tanks, maximum up angle on all dive planes, emergency flank, now!"

Responding without hesitation, the _Seaview_ crew sprang into action carrying out the orders from their captain. There was an immediate shift in the boat's attitude as her nose began rising fast making them all grab a handhold to steady themselves for the impending breach when she hit the surface.

"Countermeasures away," reported the torpedo room.

"Torpedoes have lost acquisition," Pat reported after a couple of minutes; relieved smiles spread across the crew's faces. "Check that, torpedoes have reacquired. Two thousand yards and closing… one thousand yards and closing."

"Preparing to breach surface sir!" Ramos called from the helm.

"Four hundred yards and closing…three hundred yards." Patterson snatched off the headphones as the sound of the torpedoes' detonation assaulted his ears. The boat gyrated wildly following Seaview's breach of the surface and the turbulence from the subsea explosion. Those inside were tossed about as the boat finally settled on the surface.

"What the hell happened?" Chip asked Patterson.

"The torpedoes just detonated. Maybe they were defective," Pat offered with a shrug.

Nelson and Morton shrugged in response then sprang into action checking with damage control parties to determine what if any damage the boat had sustained in her less than graceful assent to the top. Reports flooded in indicating there was minimal damage and everything was tight and dry.

"For whatever reason we dodged that bullet," Chip finally said after making sure the boat was secure. "Patterson do you have a fix on that sub?"

"No sir, I've lost her. She just up and disappeared," Patterson replied, a perplexed look marking his face. "There's nothing out there to hear beyond surface traffic and a couple of whales off the coast of Africa."

Chip met Nelson's gaze, both confused at the loss of their quarry. They immediately returned to the chart table and began scrutinizing the chart of the area. The bottom was littered with numerous canyons and ridges, any one of which could provide a hiding place for the smaller sub.

"This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack," Chip said in frustration.

Harri nodded in agreement as he mentally computed where the other sub could have gone in the short amount of time they went unobserved during _Seaview's_ dash to the surface. He shook his head in wonderment as he systematically eliminated a number of the options closest to them. Submarines just didn't have the ability to maneuver fast enough to slide into those valleys below them in that little time, plus those closest to them were too deep for the PR sub to access.

Chip followed Nelson's finger as he traced various paths on the chart. They should be there, but they just weren't. It didn't make sense, no sub could just disappear. "Rig for silent running," Chip ordered as they returned to their monitoring of the ocean around them looking for any sign of their missing quarry.

(olooo)


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16**_

An uneasy silence settled over the crew of the _Scourge_ as they listened to the boat creak and groan as she adjusted to the pressure of the water above them. The control room crew had all eyes fixed on their captain willing a response to their shared question. " _What just happened?_ " The captain didn't seem to be in the least way inclined to answer their unvoiced query.

Lee quietly dispatched runners to various parts of the boat to gather information on her status. The reports coming back were all good letting him release a pent up sigh of relief. He revisited the sonar station numerous times listening closely for any indication as to where _Seaview_ was located, and also making a concerted effort to avoid eye contact with those in the room.

Finally fed up with Sherman not volunteering an answer to their current situation, Landeau walked quietly over to him. "Care to tell us what the hell just happened? How did you know those torpedoes weren't armed? You said you know the boat shooting at us, who is she? You told us you had _some_ experience at the con, but you handled this boat like it was second nature; an engineering officer wouldn't be that good. Everything you had us do came too smoothly with too much confidence. Things aren't adding up Dave. I think you owe us a few answers, don't you?"

Lee looked at Landeau and then smiled. "Yeah, I suppose I do owe you a few, and since we're going to be here for the foreseeable future it's probably as good as time as any to answer at least some of your questions," he replied softly.

He registered the nods of agreement from the control room crew. They had performed admirably and deserved those answers. "Well here goes. The submarine that fired those torpedoes at us is the SSRN _Seaview_ ; you know the boat with the windows?" A number of heads bobbed up and down indicating they knew exactly what the Seaview was.

"Anyway, I've served aboard her and I'm extremely well acquainted with her systems and weaponry, and knew that given they had snuck up on us they would have employed full safeties on their fish, meaning the greatest distance required to activate and arm them. By heading into them, we didn't give the torpedoes all the time they needed to arm so they were basically inert when they hit us. As far as battle experience, I've had more than my fair share both as the captain of several Navy subs and as the current captain of the SSRN _Seaview_. My real name is Lee Crane, and _Seaview_ is my boat."

If they hadn't already been running silent, the resulting silence would have been deafening. They all stared agape at the young man standing in the middle of the control room declaring himself to be the captain of the most powerful submarine in the world. Given what they had all just been through, there was little doubt that the man was who he said he was.

"Well I guess that kind of explains why you had us run head on into the torpedoes," Marty responded breaking the awkward silence. "So why did you say you were Dave Sherman?"

"The last thing I wanted anyone to know was who I really am. I was the XO on the Mako when the skipper melted down, so I knew all the particulars of the incident," Lee began. "By the way Marty, I agree with you, Dave got the shaft. I did all I could to try and help him but nothing was going to save his career."

"As to why I chose to be Dave Sherman, Dave had a great reputation as a nuclear engineer and that would be a very valuable commodity on a boat like this. I also chose Dave because his identity could be verified fairly easily, and his location would most likely come up as unknown. Plus he and I are similar enough in appearance that without a photograph, I could easily pass for him based on a general description. I also figured that with the support system Kargarov needed in place to operate this boat, it wouldn't be much of a lift for him to ask his PR buddies to run a background check on me to verify my identity if he was so inclined, and he was."

"Also the PR has tried on numerous occasions to kidnap me for the information I have about _Seaview_ and other Navy vessels. This being an old PR boat it told me that Kargarov was in tight with them, he needed support from someone with access to fuel rods and secret sub bases he could use to unload his ill-gotten gains so he could conduct his business. Based on the records I've reviewed in Kargarov's cabin, he was doing a fair bit of stealing for them in addition to the private customers he had. If he had passed on that he had managed to shanghai me, we would be sitting in a subpen somewhere in the PR right now instead of trying to figure out how to get home without being blown to pieces," Lee replied. What he didn't add was that he hoped to hell the Navy had alerted ONI and they were now actively trying to locate him.

"So how did you get picked up in Djibouti?" asked Landeau.

"I was there TDY for the Navy as a reservist, and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, much like you guys."

"If that's your boat, why don't we just pop up top and surrender?" Carrington inquired.

"She fired on us without warning," Lee replied. "I know for a fact that goes against the grain for both Admiral Nelson and my XO Commander Morton. Their little surprise tells me that they have strict orders to take us out without asking questions. After what Kargarov did to the Indian frigate, there's no way anyone is going to trust this boat twice. We need to wait for the right opportunity to work our way close enough to shore so we can get off this sub and leave her and the willing crew behind," Lee replied.

Those in the control room nodded in agreement with their captain's plan. As they digested what they had just heard and returned their attention to their stations, Carrington slowly raised his head. "Skipper, come listen to this."

Lee walked quietly over to the sonar station and listened intently. A wry smile spread across his face as he began to hatch a plan to get them all out of this situation, alive.

(olooo)

"Still nothing Mr. Morton," Ski said in response to Morton's presence behind him. "I've been through every configuration, scanning pattern, and enhancement I can think of and they're just not there. If they're playing possum, they're playing it very well."

Chip nodded acknowledging Ski's report. He walked quietly over to the admiral. "Well sir, what do you think? We've been at this for over 18 hours and nothing has popped up."

"I know he's out there Chip, I can feel him lurking around, but I just can't figure out where. There's no way that sub could have just disappeared, there should at least be a debris field if she broke up. She wasn't off our screens long enough to have made that much distance from us undetected, especially if running silent," Nelson replied.

"Her captain is proving to be quite the magician if he's capable of making her just go poof," Chip added in frustration.

"Let's maintain silent running for another 6 hours and see if we can coax him out of his hiding place," Nelson offered. Chip nodded in agreement. "Come on, it's been nearly 10 hours since you've taken a break, let's head to the wardroom grab a sandwich and stand down for a few hours. You look dead on your feet lad."

Chip looked as though he was ready to balk, then realized the admiral was right. He needed to rest and recharge a bit if he was going to be of any value once they flushed their prey. He let loose a resigned sigh and shot Nelson a weary smile. "After you, sir," he replied quietly. As they prepared to leave, Chip waved Lt James over to the chart table. "You have the con, Mike. If a clam so much as burps, I want to know about it."

Mike smiled and nodded. "Aye, sir. I have the con," he answered softly.

"I'll be back in a couple hours and spell you," Chip responded patting him on the shoulder.

"Take your time, sir."

(olooo)

Lee made a point of ensuring that each department was as ready as possible. Reaching the torpedo room, he assisted the men loading torpedoes in tubes one and two as quietly as possible so as not to tip their position. He gave them instructions regarding when to flood the tubes and to open the outer doors.

As he exited the torpedo room he mulled over what all needed to be carried out. The only way his plan would work is if they completely surprised the _Seaview_ and forced them to surrender. The thought of Nelson's and Morton's reaction to that bit of ignominy made him shudder involuntarily. There would be holy hell to pay if he pulled this off.

His next stop was the engine room. As he entered he found Peterson and Polanski working on the consoles. They nodded at him as he walked across the space to where they were at work. "How's it going?" Lee asked softy.

"Thanks to Myron, I think we're as close to 100% as we can get," Peterson offered as the engineering officer. Polanski gave Lee a confirming nod.

"Great support on our escape Polanski, thanks," Lee offered as he noted Oscar's use of the aromatic engineer's first name. If anyone could get the crusty man to open up he figured it would be Peterson. He had a way of drawing people in and an infectious, positive outlook on life that made it impossible to ignore him.

"No problem, I told you I just want off this frickin' boat," Polanski answered gruffly, shrugging off the compliment. "We've rerouted some of the wiring so you should have smoother transitions when you change directions on the engines."

"Excellent. Gentlemen I'm going to need your support with a little plan I have to draw in the _Seaview_ ," Lee said.

"That's who's got us in her sights?!" exclaimed Oscar then slapped a hand over his mouth realizing he'd said that _very_ aloud.

Lee laughed quietly and patted him on the shoulder. "Shhh," he said with a wink. "Save that kind of noise for our little diversion."

"What do you need us to do?" asked Polanski warily.

"Probably nothing too difficult," Lee answered. "When I give you the signal, I'll need you to operate the engines in a way that it sounds as though they're melting down or falling to pieces. I intend to wait until Seaview is close to completing her current sweep of the area and when she is at her furthest point from us, I want her to hear us and our engine problems. That will bring her running, at which point we'll spring our surprise on her. Is that something you two can do?"

"You're right it's not overly difficult," Polanski replied, "we're probably damn close to being in that condition any way. I'll see what we can come up with."

Lee smiled at both men. "Great. I'm thinking two 15 to 30 second bursts should do the trick. For the second burst throw in something that sounds like we had a small explosion. I'll call down when I need you to begin."

Finished with the outlying areas of the boat Lee returned to the control room and approached Michaelson on the ballast control system. He quickly went over what he needed once they lured the _Seaview_ back within reach. The look of incredulity on the man's face almost made Lee laugh. "Michaelson, your part in this plan is the most critical segment that will spell either success or failure. We alert _Seaview_ to our position too soon, and we are toast. Do you understand everything I need you to do and exactly, and I mean **exactly,** how it must be done?"

Michaelson nodded his head, then quickly repeated Lee's instructions to the letter. Lee smiled and clapped him on the back. "I think this is going to work," he stated loud enough for the entire control room to hear. "Sonar, where is the _Seaview_ now?"

"She's approximately 30 miles at 0-6-0 relative," Carrington reported.

"All right everybody, its game time." He walked over to the chart table and picked up the mic. "Engine room, go." Immediately after his message an odd sounding thrum reverberated through the hull startling nearly everyone aboard. As that noise persisted, the torpedo room flooded the torpedo tubes and opened the outer doors. Then silence.

"Sonar any response?" Lee inquired after a couple of minutes.

"Not yet, she's still proceeding as before."

Lee smiled slightly knowing that Seaview had to have heard that, and was now trying to draw them out before they reversed course and returned to the source. Waiting 30 minutes, Lee once more called down to the engine room and another rumbling surge rolled through the boat and 30 seconds later stopped followed by a raucous bang that rattled their teeth.

"That did it, Captain! She's turned around and is making her way slowly back."

"Keep a close eye on her Al," Lee replied. "Let me know when she's 1000 yards off our bow."

"Yes sir."

"So what's going on Lee?" Marty asked wondering what all the preparations were leading up to.

(olooo)


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

Patterson sat bolt upright at his station, drawing the immediate attention of rest of the control room crew. Chip moved quickly over to his station to see what had so forcefully grabbed the sonar man's scrutiny.

"Whatcha got Pat?" Chip inquired as he looked down at the sonar screen.

"Just heard what sounded like engine noise, but not good engine noise. It sounded almost like they were grinding bearings or something," Patterson reported. "Heading 2-4-0 relative, distance 30 miles."

Chip grinned at Patterson and clapped him on the shoulder. "Anything since?"

"No, sir. Just that one burst. It lasted about 15 or so seconds and then they went silent."

"Bet that rattled their nerves," Chip replied with a smile. "Keep your ears open and let me know if you hear anything else." He walked back to the chart table and plotted a reverse course to the location Patterson reported. Nelson moved over to the chart table from the nose and looked at Chip's course.

"What's up Chip?" Nelson inquired.

"Patterson just heard what he categorized as engines with a problem, about 30 miles behind us. Maybe our possum is getting ready to make a run for it. I'm going to keep going forward for a few more minutes in hopes that we can draw them out, thinking we're out of the area."

Nelson nodded his agreement with Chip's plan and gave him a quick smile. They both regarded the area Patterson had indicated and realized it was the perfect hiding place for the smaller submarine, though how she got into one of those canyon draws without being detected was beyond them. The captain of the vessel had to have nerves of steel to navigate through those tight quarters at the speed necessary to avoid _Seaview's_ sonar after she had made her dash to the surface.

"I would have very much liked to have met this sub's captain," Nelson said quietly, knowing their next volley of torpedoes would most likely result in the destruction of the boat and all aboard. "He's pulled off some amazing tactical and navigational feats. I'm curious as to whether I've run into him before."

Chip shot Nelson a quick grin. "I have to admit I'm curious as well. That little trick with the torpedoes means he most likely was active duty Navy. It leaves me wondering who he is and why he turned rogue."

As they talked quietly about how they should approach the sub, Patterson suddenly captured their attention. "Mr. Morton," he whispered, "there's been another burst of engine noise and this time it sounded like something exploded in their engine room."

"What's your reading Pat?" Chip asked.

"Unchanged sir. Distance now 40 miles, course 2-4-0."

"You picking up anything else, Patterson?" Nelson inquired.

Patterson pressed the headphones hard against his ears straining to hear the slightest noise in the distance. He shook his head in the negative. "No sir, it's gone quiet again."

Chip looked quickly at Nelson and got his nod of concurrence. "Helm come to course 2-4-0, increase speed to one third, and take us down to 500 feet. Maintain silent running."

The helmsman quickly acknowledged the orders and commenced his turn. They felt the subtle shift in the deck as the boat sank further beneath the water as she made her way back to their uncovered foe.

(olooo)

Almost three hours had passed since the _Seaview_ had changed her course and worked her way back to the source of the engine noise. The _Scourge's_ crew was on pins and needles as the anticipation of the engagement grew with each minute.

"Captain Crane," Carrington whispered, " _Seaview's_ within range, directly ahead holding 1,000 yards at 500 feet."

An evil smile spread across Lee's face as show time arrived. "Thanks Al. Marty, Michaelson, go alert the other sections of the boat to go to battle stations. We move once you both return," Lee whispered.

Both men returned Lee's smile and hurried quietly out the aft hatch to alert the rest of the crew. Five minutes later they returned indicating that everyone was ready to respond at his command.

"Great. Michaelson take your position." Michaelson resumed his position at ballast control and nodded his readiness to Lee. "Okay men here we go. Helm, 2 degrees up angle, ballast control blow tanks just as I showed you, take us up to 500 feet."

"Two degrees up angle," repeated the helmsman.

"Nice and easy on the ballast control, up to 500 feet. Silent as a shark, Cap'n." Michaelson replied.

Silently the _Scourge_ eased up off the bottom as her ballast tanks we're slowly filled with air. She rose up stealthily through the 800 feet of water separating them from the Seaview.

"Sonar, _Seaview's_ position?" Lee inquired quietly.

"She's holding steady directly in front of us. No engine noise so I think she's just listening."

"Perfect. Helm let me know when we're at 500 feet."

"Coming up on 500 feet right now."

"Sonar any indication she knows we're right beside her?" Lee asked.

"Not that I can tell, still no activity," Carrington replied.

Lee's smile grew even wider as the men in the control room stared at him curiously. "Sonar."

"Yes Captain?" Carrington asked.

"Ping 'er." Lee replied loudly with a broad mischievous smile and wink.

Hearing the captain's order the entire control room fought hard to hold back their laughter. "Aye, aye, sir. One ping coming up," Al responded, a huge smile on his face. He then reached forward and sent off an active sonar sweep which immediately pinged off the sub parked in front of them.

"I'm sure that just woke them up," laughed Lee.

(olooo)

"Patterson, anything yet?" Chip inquired as he and the admiral looked over the sonar operator's shoulder.

"Nothing new since that last explosion. We're definitely in the area." Suddenly Pat froze as he strained to identify an odd sound.

After a minute Chip asked, "Got something?"

"Something. Sounds almost like air leaking or…MR. MORTON!"

)))))PING(((((

The entire crew of the Seaview froze as a loud sonar ping encompassed the boat and bounced back to the source. They recognized immediately they were screwed and just hoped Morton or the admiral had some card up their sleeve that would allow them to escape in one piece.

"Shit!" Chip swore and pulled in a deep breath in frustration as he realized they had just been played. "Where is she Pat?" he asked evenly.

"She's 1000 yards off our port side, sir," Patterson replied miserably as he condemned himself for not picking up and recognizing the sounds sooner.

Chip turned to face the admiral and gave him an apologetic look for failing so badly to track down and eliminate the rouge submarine. Given the short range, the fact their torpedo tubes were empty and their adversary had them firmly fixed in his sights, there was nothing Chip could do to salvage their survival.

Nelson stared back at his unhappy captain. "It's not your fault son, we both were drawn in by his tactics. I think Lee would have been pushed to his limits by this captain," Nelson said trying to assuage his captain's guilt.

"Battle stations!" Chip called out, followed quickly by commands to load torpedoes, flood the tubes and open the outer doors. If the other vessel's torpedoes really were faulty they may just have a chance if the second batch proved to be bad as well.

"Admiral, Mr. Morton, he just closed his torpedo tube doors," Patterson called out, a hint of disbelief evident in his voice.

"What?! Are you sure?" Nelson inquired.

"Yes sir, all outer doors are now closed. He's starting to go shallow," Pat reported as he listened intently to what was going on outside their hull. "He's holding steady at 90 feet."

Nelson and Morton stared at each other wondering what the hell was going on. "Well if he's up taking a look, maybe we should join him," Nelson offered.

"Agreed sir. Helm, take us up to periscope depth," Morton ordered.

"Ninety feet aye sir," replied Rodriguez. Seaview's position shifted slightly as she slowly rose up to the surface. "Ninety feet, sir."

Chip walked to the periscope island and stepped up. "Up periscope." O'Brien quickly depressed the button raising the periscope so Morton could scan the surface and take a look at the sub that held them in check.

(olooo)


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

"Exceptional work Mr. Michaelson!" Lee offered as he patted the man on the back. "Excellent job, all of you. I think we now have their undivided attention." The men in the control room had a good laugh releasing all the accumulated tension from the last few days.

"Take us up to periscope depth Mr. Landeau," Lee ordered. Landeau relayed the order and the _Scourge_ slowly began to ascend.

"Ninety feet, Captain," the helmsman reported.

"Thank you. Up periscope," Lee said as he climbed onto the periscope island. Landeau depressed the button and raised the periscope. Lee flipped down the handles, placed his eyes to the lenses then slowly walked around the periscope island making a complete circle as he scanned the surrounding ocean. He continued a couple more paces then froze as he spotted the telltale signs of _Seaview_ also rising to periscope depth.

Once he knew _Seaview's_ scope was on them he fired off a quick flash of their running light to get their attention. _Seaview_ returned the flash and awaited the coming demands.

Lee began tapping rapidly on the handle transmitting his message in Morse code via the light on the periscope mast to the boat across the water. " _Seaview this is the Scourge, we have no radio capability. We wish to discuss your terms of surrender."_ Lee signaled his message complete then shot a quick look around his control room taking in the relieved faces of the men around him. He could only imagine what was going on in the other control room.

(olooo)

Morton acknowledged the other sub's flash indicating he was waiting for their message. He stared intently through the lenses watching the rapid flash of the other sub's light. He quickly translated what he was reading to the admiral. "They know who we are," Chip said, intrigued that they would know her sound signature. "The vessel's name is the _Scourge_ and apparently they have no radio. They want to discuss terms of surrender." Chip stepped back from the periscope and regarded the admiral.

Nelson grunted at the last sentence. "I will never surrender _Seaview_. We can't afford to let any of her weapons or technology fall into enemy hands."

"Agreed," Chip replied as he shot a glance around the control room and was proud of the unanimous nods of agreement.

"Send our response, Captain," Nelson replied.

Chip returned to the periscope and quickly typed out Seaview's response. " _Scourge, we have no intention of surrendering to you."_ End of message.

(olooo)

Lee smiled expecting no other answer from his boat. He quickly glanced at the conditions topside and noted the seas were calm and the sky sunny and clear of clouds. "Want to go for a boat ride Marty?" he playfully asked his XO.

"Oh yeah, that would be very nice. I could go for a bit of fresh air." Landeau said with a chuckle.

Lee began transmitting his response to Morton's statement. " _Seaview, you misunderstand. We do not want your surrender, we want to surrender to you. We have relieved the previous captain of his duties and this boat is under new management. If acceptable, I and my XO would like to come aboard your vessel and arrange our surrender and return to a port of your choice."_

(olooo)

Chip could feel his lower jaw drop open as he translated the message from the Scourge. He stepped back and nearly fell over the periscope island railing he was so stunned.

"Chip, are you all right? What did they say?" demanded Nelson.

"You're not going to believe this, sir," Chip replied, shaking his head in disbelief. "They don't want us to surrender, they want to surrender to us, and for us to escort them back to port."

"Are you serious?" Nelson asked incredulously.

"Yes sir. I take it there was a wee bit of mutiny on board the _Scourge_ , and according to the man sending the message, the boat is under new management. The new captain wants to motor over with his XO to discuss **_their_** surrender," Chip reported with a chuckle of relief. "Do you wish to extend an invitation, sir?"

Nelson shook his head in disbelief as well, and chuckled. "By all means Mr. Morton, why don't you invite them over for coffee?" At that a sigh of relief was released by every man in the con as they realized they were not about to be blasted to the bottom of the sea.

"Aye sir," Chip replied and returned to the scope to relay the invitation.

(olooo)

Lee translated the ensuing message and laughed out loud at the invitation to surrender. He quickly sent his response accepting the invitation and thanking them for their hospitality. "Marty, surface the boat and have them break out a zodiac. We're going for a little ride."

A bright smile spread across Landeau's face. "Aye, aye sir. Helm, surface the boat."

Lee moved to the chart table and picked up the mic. "Attention all hands, this is the captain. Thanks to your outstanding efforts, we have just arranged to surrender this boat and get an escort into port and freedom." Lee smiled at the rousing cheers heard throughout the sub. "Mr. Landeau and I are heading over to the _Seaview_ in a few minutes to make the arrangements. The weather conditions are perfect so while we are away, all crew are free to make your way topside and enjoy some sunshine and a healthy dose of fresh air. That is all." Another cheer echoed through the boat.

"Come on Marty let's go make ourselves a little more presentable for our meeting," Lee said as he clapped Landeau on the shoulder. Landeau nodded in agreement and they made their way aft to freshen up and put on some clean clothes. "Mr. Carrington, you have the con."

"Aye Captain," Carrington replied with a huge smile.

(olooo)

Chip began laughing as he translated the message from the Scourge. He stepped back, pushed the handles on the periscope back up and nodded to O'Brien to lower the periscope.

"What's so funny?" Nelson inquired.

"They accept our invitation and thank us for our hospitality. They are surfacing their boat and the captain and XO will be over in 30 minutes," Chip reported.

"Well then, we can only be equally as gracious," Harri chuckled in response. "Sharkey, have Cookie send up some fresh coffee and assorted cookies so we can entertain our guest appropriately."

"Yes sir," Sharkey replied and headed out the aft hatch to the galley, a relieved smile plastered across his face.

"Bobby, surface the boat and get a crew on deck to accept our visitors," Chip ordered.

"Yes sir," O'Brien replied.

Chip picked up the mic. "Master at Arms, report to the control room."

The hail was quickly acknowledged and the MMA showed up in less than a minute. "Reporting as ordered, sir" Richards said.

"Mark, we will be receiving the captain and XO from that boat in a few minutes. They are supposedly coming aboard to surrender, while that may be what they really intend to do, I want us ready to react if that doesn't prove to be their true intentions. Get a detail positioned near the control room and another on deck to ensure our guests do nothing unexpected," Chip ordered.

"Right away sir," the MMA replied and hurried out the aft hatch to assemble his teams.

"Captain Morton, this is O'Brien."

"What is it Bobby?" Chip replied.

"The _Scourge_ is launching their zodiac and two men are motoring their way over."

"Thank you Mr. O'Brien, we're on our way up," Chip responded. "Well sir, shall we go greet our guests?"

"I think so. I'm quite anxious to meet these men and hear their story," Nelson said with a smile as he headed towards the ladder to the conning tower.

"You have the con, Mr. James," Chip said as he began his climb up the ladder.

(olooo)

Nelson and Morton stood in the conning tower watching through their binoculars as the small zodiac motored its way towards _Seaview_. There were two heavily bearded men in the boat, both wearing dark sunglasses against the bright glare of the tropical sun. They were dressed alike in blue jeans and t-shirts. They both assumed the older man sitting in the bow was probably the captain, and the younger dark haired one operating the outboard, his exec. They were chatting as they motored over, smiling and laughing from time to time as they bounced over the small waves.

As they drew close to _Seaview,_ the man in the bow grabbed a line and tossed it to the waiting hands on deck. Kowalski caught it and he and two other men quickly pulled the rubber boat atop Seaview's deck. Ski stared intently at the man operating the outboard, there seemed to be something very familiar about him, but between the sunglasses, long curly hair, and thick beard he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He reached out and offered the man his hand and pulled him up to his feet. The quick friendly squeeze of his hand after he had helped him up surprised him and he stared curiously at the visitor.

The boat now firmly settled on _Seaview_ , the two men stepped out onto the deck. They were quickly joined by Morton and Nelson as they walked over from the sail hatch. "Welcome to _Seaview_ , Captain," Chip began, directing his comments to the older man. "I am Commander Morton, and this is Admiral Harriman Nelson."

Lee laughed out loud realizing he had yet to be recognized. Marty removed his sunglasses looked over at Lee and smiled waiting for the captain to reply. "It's a pleasure to be aboard Captain Morton," Lee said as he removed his glasses and winked at the surprised men standing in front of them.

"Lee?!" Harri and Chip said in unison. "Skipper?!" rang out from the crew on deck.

"Permission to come aboard," Lee replied as he extended his hand.

Chip quickly latched onto the outstretched hand and nearly pulled Lee off his feet into a crushing bear hug, not quite believing his best friend and brother had just returned to the land of the living, and as the captain of the rouge sub no less. Lee eagerly returned his hug and patted him enthusiastically on the back.

Once Chip released him, Lee snapped to attention and saluted the senior officer present. Harri quickly returned the salute, a huge smile on his face. "Why am I not overly surprised?" Harri commented as he extended his hand to Lee. Taking Harri's hand, Lee was pulled into yet another exuberant and relieved hug. "Welcome back son, and permission granted with pleasure," Harri said as he patted Lee on the back.

As all this was going on Landeau just stood back and watched in awe the incredible welcome the younger man received from his XO and Commanding Officer. The man truly was who he said he was. He smiled thrilled at their reception and at knowing they all would soon be going home.

"Please excuse my manners," Lee said once Harri released him. "Let me present Marty Landeau, my XO on the _Scourge_. Marty, Admiral Harriman Nelson, founder of NIMR and designer and builder of Seaview, and Chip Morton, acting captain and my XO on _Seaview_."

Landeau extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally be able to meet you. Lee's told me a great deal about you and your boat." He turned and looked at Lee for a moment. "The _Scourge_? That's what you called us, the _Scourge_?" Landeau said amusedly.

"We needed a name, and I thought it rather fitting," Lee replied with a laugh.

Landeau nodded and smiled. "Too true."

"Well gentlemen why don't we retire to the nose and you can explain how the hell you came to be on that boat, and how you managed to take control," Nelson interjected as the tropical sun beat down a little too warmly for his comfort.

(olooo)

Lee received an exuberant greeting from his crew as he descended into _Seaview's_ control room. As he eschewed the last three rungs of the ladder and dropped down to the deck, the room came alive with a thunderous round of applause. The con was filled to capacity as word of the skipper's return had traveled around the boat at a speed slightly slower than light. He smiled warmly at the men there to welcome him back, and shook hands with everyone. Once finished with that, Nelson and company retired to the nose where Cookie had coffee and Lee's favorite cookies waiting for them on the table.

Marty looked about in amazement at the grandeur that was _Seaview,_ his eyes constantly drawn back to her amazing windows. Lee just laughed and clapped him heartily on the shoulder. "She's something else, isn't she?" Landeau nodded in total agreement.

"Lee, Mr. Landeau please take a seat and fill us in on all that went on aboard that sub and how you arranged to become the 'new management'," Harri said as he gestured towards the table.

They all took a seat and Lee and Marty began recounting their tale to their rapt audience. As Lee began detailing their mutiny, Sparks entered the nose. "Admiral Nelson, I have Admiral Hardy on the line for you." A number of raised eyebrows greeted that announcement.

"Put him through here, Sparks," Nelson replied. He picked up the phone and waited for Sparks to transfer the call.

"Harri, Tom Hardy here."

"Hi Tom, what can I do for you?" Harri asked.

"I hear from Braden you were successful in carrying out your mission. Congratulations." Hardy began, sounding almost as though he was conveying his condolences.

"Thank you Tom, yes we were indeed successful in bringing an end to the vessel attacks by that sub," Nelson replied, somewhat confused by Hardy's tone.

"Harri, about that, I have some disturbing news regarding that sub and who may have been aboard her. According to what we've been able to discover, we're fairly certain Crane was aboard her as a shanghaied crewman. I'm so sorry Harri, I know how close you and Lee were."

There was a long pause and a very mischievous smile crept across Nelson's face unseen by the caller at the other end of the line. "Harri are you still there?" Hardy inquired as the silence stretched out.

"Yes, yes Tom I'm still here. You just caught me off guard. Tom, I'm going to put you on speaker, would you please repeat what you told me?" Nelson replied his smile growing wider.

Hardy heard the click as he was placed on the speaker. "I just wanted to let you know that there was a very real possibility that Commander Crane was aboard the submarine you just destroyed. I'm terribly sorry for your loss," Hardy stated sincerely to those assembled on the other end of the line.

Lee looked up at Nelson and smiled as well. He pointed to himself silently, asking if he could reply to Hardy's report. Harri nodded vigorously trying hard to tamp down his laughter. "On the sub yes, Admiral. Destroyed, no sir." Lee said.

"Lee?! Is that you?!" Hardy exclaimed, recognizing his operative's voice immediately and finding himself caught off guard and very pleasantly surprised.

"Aye sir." Lee answered, he was more than a little surprised himself to hear Hardy use his first name, as he usually just referred to him as Crane.

"How the hell are you on board the Seaview? Roger Braden told me Seaview had successfully completed her mission, which I thought was a search and destroy," Hardy queried.

"Technically sir, they did successfully complete their mission by bringing an end to the _Scourge's_ reign of terror. As far as being destroyed, well sir, we were able to convince Admiral Nelson and Captain Morton not to blow us out of the water," Lee responded as he winked at his friends across the table.

"Huh? How did you do that?" Hardy inquired.

"I'll fill you in later, Tom," Harri cut in with a chuckle. "As you are well aware, Commander Crane can be most persuasive when he turns on the charm. He made us an offer we couldn't refuse. We're heading to Diego Garcia and will be there in a couple of days. I'll give you a call once I'm ashore."

"Fine Harri, I'd appreciate that. Welcome back Crane, it's nice to know you're safe. Contact me when you're ashore as well. Hardy, out." Tom said gruffly as he tried desperately to hide his elation at finding his agent and friend safe and sound. To those on the other end of the line, Hardy's relief and sincere happiness at Lee's return was blatantly transparent despite his blustered words.

Lee sat back in his chair and smiled at the other men around the table, privately pleased at Hardy's reaction and concern for his well-being. Chip just rolled his eyes, picked up his coffee and took a sip to hide his smile. He had to admit it was nice to know that Hardy really did care what happened to Lee, and maybe, just maybe that would change some of the missions he drew in the future.

(olooo)


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter 19**_

It was a flurry of activity the next two days as _Seaview_ escorted the _Scourge_ to Diego Garcia. The first few hours were spent on the admiral's porch in _Seaview's_ nose as Lee and Marty relayed how they all had come to be aboard the _Scourge_ , what they knew about her operations and responsibility for sinking vessels in the region, and how they orchestrated the takeover of the vessel from their captors. Once the formalities were completed, Nelson touched base with COMSUBLANT, made arrangements for them to all to transit to Diego Garcia, and to have appropriate reception committees for the willing and the unwilling crew.

Lee requested Cookie prepare a couple of meals for the crew of the _Scourge_ as a reward for their great work. It was the first fresh produce and meat some of them had eaten in many months and was enjoyed by all. Also a security detail from _Seaview_ was brought aboard to ensure that the prisoners remained in custody until claimed by the authorities. Lee remained aboard the _Scourge_ during the transit, feeling responsible for the boat and the men who had made him their captain. He had never felt so relieved to give the final orders to secure the boat and begin shore operations in his life. He was now free to return his gray lady love, _Seaview_ , something he had secretly feared would never happen again.

Upon reaching Diego Garcia, Navy security took control of the sub and the prisoners. Lee was also surprised to find Admiral Hardy there to greet them. He spent the next several hours being debriefed by the admiral personally and provided him with the records he'd found in Kargarov's cabin pertaining to the items stolen by the pirates. The information they contained provided valuable data relating to potential threats to US and international security. A review of the documents showed that the last container ship the _Scourge_ torpedoed was sunk to hide the fact parts critical for construction of a nuclear reactor had been removed from the ship prior to sailing by a terrorist nation hoping to hide their attempt to join the nuclear club. Never had a blown mission resulted in such a bounty of information so valuable to the US and her allies.

Once all the personnel on the _Scourge_ had been processed, the Navy made arrangements to repatriate the conscripts to their homes in the US and elsewhere in the world. Lee made a point of being at the air terminal to see each group of men off, thanking them for their assistance and wishing them well. The last group to be transported home was comprised of those men most responsible for the successful mutiny they pulled off; Whitcome, Landeau, Peterson, and surprisingly Polanski. Lee was gratified to see that Polanski was among them. He had never really been sure how Polanski came to be on the boat, but he came through each time his expertise was needed.

"Wow Myron, I almost didn't recognize you," Lee said as he approached the group. Polanski had showered and shaved, sported a new haircut, a manicure, and clean clothes making him almost pleasant to be around. Polanski sneered at him then relented and shot him a smile. "I've always wondered, were you volunteer or conscript? I won't say anything either way; you came through when we needed you most and saved all our lives."

"I guess you'd say I was a bit of both. Kargarov wasn't that specific about what employment on his boat entailed when he approached me to run the engines. I came aboard willingly until he sank the first vessel. I had no idea he had that in mind. I immediately tried to get off but quickly found myself for the most part a prisoner just like you. I did the best I could to limit what kind of power he had and to keep him out of the engine room so he wouldn't find out I was playing with both the engines and the reactor. For a captain, his knowledge of his power plant was amazingly limited."

Lee nodded and smiled having his suspicions confirmed. "I knew you couldn't be that inept, and I must admit it your solution to keep him out was shall we say, unique," he replied with a laugh and a cough.

"Yeah, well it was working just fine until you showed up and threw a wrench into the works," Polanski responded. "I pretty much figured I was toast once you arrived and started showing me up."

Lee blushed a bit. "Sorry about that, but I had plans by then, and wasn't at all sure about where you stood in the order."

"I wouldn't have trusted me either. Anyway, thanks for getting us all out," Myron said and extended his hand to Lee. Lee willingly grabbed it and shook hands with him likewise thankful for his support. "Well I'm going to go grab a seat," he added and waddled off towards a bank of chairs in the terminal. The remaining men stared after Polanski as he moved off, smiling slightly as the portly man made his way to the other side of the room.

"Guys, I can't thank you enough for all you did in our mutiny. Without your help, I would probably be dead and you'd still be stuck under water somewhere," Lee started. "You were a great crew, and speaking of which if any of you is interested, there are jobs waiting for you with NIMR should you want them."

Looks of surprise spread across the other's faces, followed quickly by smiles. "I think I'll take you up on that one," Whitcome said. "Despite everything that went on, I kind of liked being on the sub."

Lee smiled. "You will be a very welcome addition to our medical crew. Dr. Will Jamieson is one of the best doctor's I've ever dealt with and his corpsmen are top of the line as well. I can guarantee you'll get ample experience practicing your trade and won't get bored," he finished with a chuckle.

"I'll take that job as well," Oscar quickly added. "Being back on a container ship will seem kind of tame after all of this."

"Great, Oscar. I'm sure you'll enjoy working in either engineering or the galley whichever job calls to you most. Our cook is a gourmet chef and our engineering officer makes me look like a shade tree mechanic. Both are excellent to work with and again will ensure you never get bored," Lee replied. "Well how about you Marty? Does submarine service call to you at all?"

"I'll have to think on that a bit Lee. I'm not sure I'm up to all that excitement," Marty replied with a small laugh. "I think I just want to go home and sit for a bit."

"I can respect that," Lee responded. "You were a great XO and we wouldn't have made it all work without you. If you decide you do want to come work for NIMR, just let me know, there's always a place for you there."

"Thanks, Skipper I'll keep that in mind." Marty held out his hand and shook Lee's hand. As they stood there an announcement over the intercom called them to their aircraft and a ride home.

"Well that's your ride. I hope to see you all soon," Lee said shaking hands with Whitcome and Peterson. "Have a safe trip and thanks again."

(olooo)

With the last of the _Scourge's_ crew gone and _Seaview_ now safely on her way back home, it was time for everyone to kick back and relax. Despite having been kidnapped at the start of an ONI mission, Lee was surprisingly uninjured and was able to resume command of Seaview without the usual _unwarranted_ medical limitations or ultimatums from Jamieson hanging over his head. Lee reveled in being back aboard his gray lady.

He had just completed his first walk-a-boat following his first day back and found himself not the least bit tired despite it being nearly midnight. Not feeling like returning to his cabin, he made his way back down to the nose so he could just spend a little quiet time sitting and enjoying being back where he belonged most. As he descended the staircase he was surprised to find both Chip and Harri seated at the table, the crash doors closed and two nearly empty glasses in front of them.

"Ah Lee, come and join us," Harri beckoned as he spotted his captain and surrogate son.

"I don't want to disturb you," Lee replied.

"Nonsense, we were just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet for the moment," Harri responded. Chip smiled and pulled back the chair next to him, inviting Lee to join them. As he did that, Nelson grabbed another glass and poured two fingers of scotch into it then refreshed his and Chip's drink as well.

"Feel good to be back?" Chip asked.

A broad relieved smile quickly flashed across Lee's face as he seated himself at the table and accepted the drink. "More than you can ever imagine," he answered. "So what all are you talking about?"

"Oh we were just going over the impromptu war game you forced upon us," Chip remarked.

"Wasn't my game, believe me," Lee responded. "Until you came along, I was doing just fine trying to get to a port to surrender my boat and turn over our prisoners. You surprised the hell out of me with that barrage of torpedoes you blindsided us with."

"Not apparently enough," Chip replied with a wink, a feigned tone of disappointment in his voice. "You totally screwed up my plan when you didn't turn tail and run like any _normal_ sub commander should have done."

Lee and Harri laughed. "Well thank god I recognized my lady's signature or you'd be forever wondering whatever became of me."

Chip and Harri nodded grimly in agreement. Any other captain would have been at a loss to defend against their surprise attack. Only through Lee's intimate familiarity with his boat and her weapons was he able to correctly identify the only defense to Morton's salvo and save both his boat and crew from certain destruction.

"You definitely scared the shit out us when you fired your torpedoes while heading straight for us at flank speed. Those fish were locked on us seemingly from the second you fired. Forcing us to the surface was a great move to get away undetected. How the hell did you disappear so fast? We weren't away from the scopes that long," Chip asked.

"As you were doing your emergency rise, we were crash diving towards the bottom and that range of canyons just below us. Those canyon walls ate a lot of sound. In all honesty, it was some of the best boat handling I've ever seen," Lee explained. "Our helmsmen were responding immediately to every ordered course and depth change they received, and the engineering crew pulled more power out of those engines than I ever thought possible. You never would have guessed this was a crew unwillingly cobbled together by pirates, the way they all pulled together. They did a fantastic job."

Nelson and Morton locked eyes, smiled and just shook their heads. It never changed, Lee always was quick to recognize the work of others while downplaying the brilliance of his own actions. Without the skill and the exceptional ability to devise and execute such a complicated plan, those aboard the _Scourge_ would have all gone anonymously to their deaths, if it hadn't been for him.

"Yes, it was a great crew effort, but the reason the _Scourge_ survived at all was because of the man devising that response, calling out those orders, and drawing out the best efforts possible from his crew," Harri interjected. "That was an impressive escape son, which not many in this business could ever come close to engineering. Chip and I both stood their scratching our heads once _Seaview_ was back on an even keel, wondering where the hell you went, and what kind of magician commanded that boat."

Lee blushed slightly and gave Harri an embarrassed grin at the supreme compliment from the man he admired most in life. He personally didn't consider his efforts all that extraordinary, after all that's what he'd been trained for his entire adult life. He simply did his job, the end.

"I had a very distinct advantage over you. I knew your capabilities both as boat and command team, and had a pretty good idea how you would react in any given situation. I knew what I could get away with, without harming you or the boat."

"Lee, I've poured over the charts for the area where you went to ground and given the speed at which you managed to pull off your maneuvers and bottom your boat, it was incredible. I don't think a computer could have been able to carry out the necessary calculations and provide the commands to maneuver the boat any better or faster. The use of your torpedoes to back us up out of the water and then detonating them was the perfect cover for your escape," Nelson responded ardently. "If we had really thought about it after you detonated your fish, we should have come to the conclusion that there was a "friendly" force behind the attack."

"That's true," Chip replied as he considered Nelson's last statement. "We just assumed your torpedoes malfunctioned, it never occurred to us it was intentional." Lee smiled, proud at what he and his crew had pulled off.

"I'll be honest Lee, I've never felt so foolish and gullible in my life, as when you pinged us with your sonar. I fell hook, line, and sinker for your fake engine problems; I was so certain that we had you trapped," Chip added, his face showing a blush of embarrassment and guilt as he slightly averted his eyes. "I really thought we were dead and it was all my fault. It was quite an ingenious ploy to pull us back. By the sounds of it following our first engagement, your engines were struggling so hard it was a wonder they didn't explode, we thought you'd done some serious damage to them in your escape. The "explosion" was pure genius; truly the icing on the cake. I guess that's why you're the Skipper."

"Don't sell yourself short, Chip" Nelson jumped in, coming quickly to the defense of his acting captain. He could hear the embarrassment and hurt in Chip's voice and could see the look of pain on Lee's face for damaging his friend's confidence in his command capabilities. "I was right there with you and swallowed the same bait. I would have reacted exactly as you did. Remember what I told you when all this started, I have the same confidence in you as I do in Lee and nothing has changed that. I will always contend I have the best command crew in the world. You will also recall, I told you Lee would have probably been pushed to his limits dealing with the captain of that boat, and that statement couldn't have been closer to the truth. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't recognize his hand in all of this."

"Thanks, Admiral. I appreciate that and your continued support and confidence in me," Chip replied. A slight blush crept up his cheeks making both Lee and Harri smile at seeing the man somewhat flustered for change. "Well before this all dissolves into group hugs and endless rounds of Kumbaya, I think it best I head off to my quarters to finish off a bit of paperwork and then get some sorely needed sleep. Night Admiral, Lee." Chip picked up his glass, gulped down the last of his drink then rose, walked over to the staircase and headed up.

"Good night Chip," Lee and Harri called after him.

(olooo)

After Chip had gone, Lee and Harri sat quietly staring out the windows. Harri grabbed his bottle of scotch and poured them each another shot. He then picked up his glass and inclined it towards Lee. "Welcome back, Captain. I can't tell you how happy I am to have you back home, son. After Hardy's call telling us you had gone missing, presumably kidnapped and engaged in forced labor somewhere, I was sincerely worried that I would never see you again, and even worse never know what had happened to you."

Lee picked up his glass and touched it lightly to Harri's acknowledging the toast and the heartfelt words. "I was pretty much afraid of that happening myself. I will admit I was somewhat relieved to have _just_ been a shanghaied sailor as opposed to being abducted as a spy; the treatment is a hell of a lot better," he replied with a soft chuckle. Nelson joined in the laugh, knowing from personal experience how true that was. They each took a sip of their drink and settled back in their chairs enjoying an easy moment of comfortable silence.

"Aside from being certain we were going to be blown to hell and back, I have never been more impressed with the tactics employed against us," Harri said after a few minutes. "I am very sincere in my confidence in Chip, but I couldn't help wishing you were at the con to deal with that devil on the enemy sub," Harri added with a chuckle. "I'm still blown away at how rapidly you responded to our attack then engineered such an effective counterattack. The fact you were able to maneuver your way through those narrow canyons with a novice crew leaves me in awe. Your ability to handle any boat as though it's an extension of your body is unique in my experience and I'm thrilled you've chosen to share that rare gift with me and Seaview. Your entire campaign against us only confirms my long held belief that you are the best submarine commander around, son."

Lee had no doubt he was glowing bright red as he listened to the admiral's words of praise for his actions on the _Scourge_. He reveled in the confidence and belief this incredible man had in him. "Thank you sir, that means the world to me. I couldn't have achieved any of that without you. You've so often shown me the way, given me opportunities, pushed me beyond what I considered my limits, and fueled my desire to be better than the day before. Those are the true gifts that I can never repay and helped me do what needed to be done."

Harri gave Lee a nod accepting his thanks and compliment. He once again counted himself extremely blessed to have garnered the loyalty and devotion of such a remarkable young man. After a moment of silence, Harri chuckled quietly and rose. "Well now that I think we've sufficiently embarrassed each other it's probably a good time to turn in. Come on Blackbeard, let's call it a night."

Lee chuckled and rose to join the admiral. "Aye, sir and arrrgh." They both laughed and began walking towards the steps. As Lee moved forward he started singing softly, "Yoho, Yoho, a pirate's life for me."

Harri walked up behind his captain and popped him lightly on the back of the head. "Not on your life, and no more mutiny for you either. Now move it." Lee laughed out loud and trotted quickly up the steps ready to call it a night and an adventure.

The End.

Thanks to all who have read my story and especially those who let me know what you thought. I hope you had as much fun with this one as I did. Caribou Kid.


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